An Open Book
by mecherry
Summary: Remade! Full summary inside. What if another hobbit had grown up with and befriended the other four? The war of the One Ring eventually catches up to them, and the hobbits need to band together in their quest. Frodo/OC, no slash
1. Beginnings

**_Hi! Just wanted to say, this is a redo of my first story, so if you were reading the first Open Book, read this one too! Reviews, reviews, reviews!!_**

**Summary**:

Lara isn't your basic Hobbit girl. She loves action, and causing mischief, and she has four male best friends. Who are they? Yep, you guessed it. Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Sam. But the War of the One Ring is coming, and she can't do anything to stop it.

**Chapter 1**: Beginnings

_"Come on, Lara."_

_"No way!"_

_"It won't hurt. All we will do is grab a couple of carrots and-"_

_"No! I absolutely will NOT rob Farmer Maggot today."_

_Merry and Pippin looked hurt. "But you always help us."_

_She grinned. "That was until he heard us in the crops last week and set his dogs on us. Remember?"_

_They looked at each other. How could they not? They had been grabbing their share of Farmer Maggot's lettuce, when they had heard loud barking and rustling not far off. They ran for their lives, as fast as their short little legs could carry them._

_Lara, Merry, and Pippin were standing in the field behind Lara's house, trying to decide what to do. Lara had lived in the Shire her whole life, and Merry and Pippin were her best friends. She was also pretty well acquainted with Samwise Gamgee, or Sam, as they called him, because she saw him all the time when she was over at Mr. Bilbo's house. They were young hobbits still, almost twelve years old, and their favorite thing to do was cause mischief, or listen to Bilbo's stories._

_When you got to know her, Lara was adventurous and headstrong, and she didn't want to listen to anybody but herself. Around elder hobbits, however, she seemed terrified out of her wits. She just froze up and couldn't talk to them, with the one exception: Bilbo Baggins. She didn't like being a girl either. She liked to run, jump, climb, and fish with Merry and Pippin. Her mother wasn't all too pleased, but she figured Lara would grow out of it._

_Lara was very small, even for a hobbit, and very thin, with dark brown hair that was a mass of curls, which she usually put up in a sloppy ponytail to be out of her way. She had a thin face, and a light accumulation of freckles splattered across her nose that just seemed to fit. She had small white teeth, with a few gaps, as she was still young, and grey eyes. Although she was small and scrawny, there were advantages to it, one of those being that she was very fast; even Merry and Pippin couldn't catch her._

_Merry and Pippin continued to beg. "Lara...come on. Let's go. It's boring here."_

_Lara looked around. "Maybe we could go to our hideout," she suggested._

_"We've already been there today!" Pippin complained._

_"Let's go fishing."_

_"I don't feel like it," Merry whined._

_"Well, fine!" Lara shrieked. "Why don't I just go home?"_

_"Why can't we just go to Farmer Maggots?"_

_Lara really couldn't believe these two. They just couldn't drop it. "Because," she said slowly, "he has big dogs that want to KILL us," she said, enunciating every word as if they couldn't understand her. "Look...let's just wait a week or so, and then he won't be expecting us. Okay?"_

_Merry and Pippin glanced at each other. They slowly started to back away, then turned and took off in the direction of Farmer Maggot's field._

_"Fine! You guys just go by yourself! I don't care! You can just get killed! I'll just stay here and...oh, brother!" Lara said, and took off after them. She caught up with them easily and grabbed their shirts before they could go anywhere else._

_"Let-go!" Pippin said in between gasping for breath, as he desperately tried to struggle away._

_"Oh, be quiet. I'm coming with you," she said._

_"Oh, good." Merry said. "The more the merrier."_

_She sighed. "Let's just go and get this over with."_

_The three friends turned and started to run again, only stopping every once in a while to catch their breath._

_"You know," Lara said when they were almost there, "my parents are going to kill you if I get hurt."_

_Merry grinned. "You know they won't. They're going to kill YOU for coming with us. Anyways, do I sense fear?"_

_"Scared, ha! I laugh in the face of danger!"_

_Pippin looked sideways at her. "That's not what it sounded like earlier when you didn't want to come."_

_Lara pushed him and opened her mouth to reply, but Merry said in a hushed tone, "Shh! We're getting close."_

_They crept to the edge of the Farmer's field and knelt at the edge of the plants so they couldn't be seen. They sat there panting and breathing in the warm, summer air. They were all so flushed, they looked like the tomatoes they were about to rob._

_They huddled up and argued in whispers about what to do. "Look," Lara said, "if we just stick together-"_

_"But we'll be louder that way!" Merry said._

_"Yeah!" Pippin chided. "Let's just split up. And then we can get the food faster too."_

_Lara was getting frustrated. "But-"_

_"See you," they both said, grinning devilishly, and took off in the same direction, left, towards the tomatoes and lettuce._

_"Oh...those two!" Lara to herself, unable to chase them for fear of making to much noise. "Always teaming up on me. Then they leave me to get the corn and strawberries, the most dangerous things to get. I REALLY can't belive them."_

_Nevertheless, she was used to it, so instead of going to the left or right, she went straight forward into the field of the corn stalks that were so much taller than her. They had to hurry. Still peeved at Merry and Pippin, she quietly began to pick corn and put it in the brown sack she carried on her back. After getting a sufficient amount that would even keep Pippin happy, she moved to the strawberries. These were slightly closer to the house, so she really had to watch her footing and make sure she didn't make a sound._

_She heard rustling from a while away and froze. She heard no sounds of barking. Merry or Pippin, she thought. Those idiots, they're being too loud. She continued grabbing strawberries and putting them in her sack, and eating some along the way. After getting enough, she turned and went to dash back to the edge of the field._

_Merry and Pippin, meanwhile, were not going to the tomatoes and lettuce, as Lara had thought, but were going towards the most prized thing in Maggots' field: the mushrooms. No matter how young they were, all hobbits had a passion for mushrooms. They were currenly laying on the ground, waiting for the right moment to make their move._

_"Be quiet!"_

_"I am!"_

_"I thought I heard something."_

_"That was my stomach."_

_They waited, straining their eyes for any possible movement, but they heard none. "Ready?" Merry asked._

_"Ready."_

_Merry reached out to seperate the branches of the bush they were hidden in. He cautiously looked to the left and right, where there was a long, dirt trail that they couldn't see the end of. Directly ahead is the precious mushrooms, protected by a fence. Beside him, Pippin's stomach grumbles again, loudly enough to make Merry jump._

_"Pippin!"_

_"I can't help it."_

_They inch forward and check the path one more time. Merry gave a low whistle, then waited, tense. When no dogs came, he nodded to Pippin. "Get the bag ready," he whispered._

_Together, the two crawled out of their hiding place, and, staying low to the ground, darted across the trail, opened the gate of the fence, and slipped inside. Their feet sunk into the soft dirt below them, and the sweet aroma of mushrooms filled their nostrils. They set to work immediately, getting down on their hands and knees and freeing some of the fattest mushrooms they have ever seen and dumping them in the bag. The raid took less than thirty seconds, and without furthur ado they stuffed a couple mushrooms in their mouths and sneaked back into their bush._

_They silently congratulated each other on their accomplishment, then headed back to where Lara was. After going a few rows, Pippin ran into her. Literally._

_"Pippin!" she hissed. "Was that you making all that noise? We're supposed to be quiet!"_

_"It wasn't me, I promise! We were quiet as mice. All of us always are!"_

_They heard the rustling again, and Lara gasped. Pippin's arm shot out and his hand covered her mouth. Merry was peering through the plants, eyes narrowed. All three ducked down into a plant._

_"Oh, great. What did I tell you guys? Farmer Maggot's here," Lara hissed, like an angry cat._

_"Quiet! We need a plan!"_

_"What do you mean a plan? We'll just have to run, won't we?"_

_"Lara, you always just think of running. But we aren't as fast as you."_

_Merry spoke up. "Guys! We'll just have to carefully and quietly make our way back to where we were, and hope we don't run into the dogs. We just won't go to the direction of any rustling."_

_"Yeah," Lara said, "and then, if we see the dogs, we'll just have to run."_

_"Ok."_

_"Ok."_

_"Alright. Let's go."_

_Pale-faced, the three once again quietly crept through the field, looking up and down each row before stepping into it. They were about seven rows from edge, when they heard the rustling from behind them again. Pippin peeked behind him and saw two dogs about three rows back, looking right at them._

_"Uh, guys," he said._

_"Not now, Pippin," Lara whispered._

_"Guys!"_

_"What?"_

_"I think we have to run now."_

_They all turned and looked right as the dogs started to bound forward. Unfortunately, Lara screamed, which Farmer Maggot apparently heard, and they heard more rustling coming from their right. Without thinking, the three took off to their left as fast as they could, corn leaves hitting them in the face as they went._

_"Turn right! Right!" Merry yelled, and they all turned and dashed toward the end of the field of corn, the dogs a few paces behind them. They heard the rustling of Farmer Maggot coming out too. He saw them. "Oi!! What are you doing in my field? That's my food you've got! Come back here, you rascals!"_

_But they didn't stop, of course. Merry reached the fence first and jumped it easily, being the tallest of them. Pippin came next, and hopped it clumsily, but still made it. Poor Lara was not tall at all, and had short legs, so she had to climb over the fence. The dogs were gaining on her._

_"Lara! Hurry up!"_

_She gave up and dove under the fence, and luckily her sack stayed on her back. The three hobbits sprinted off back to the direction of home. They didn't stop until they reached a tree about a quarter of a mile away. All three were covered in dirt, leaves, twigs, and pieces of corn._

_Breathing hard and leaning on the tree, Pippin said "I-guess the--dogs have to stop-at the fence."_

_"I-told-you guys. I-told you," Lara gasped._

_"Well, we got our food right?" Merry said, trying to look on the bright side. At that, they all started laughing really hard and couldn't stop._

_"Yeah, Pippin especially would die just to steal some food," Lara said._

_"Hey!" Pippin said. "You don't know what we have, do you, or you would be politer to me!"_

_"What?"_

_Pippin just triumphantly opened the bag of mushrooms and held it up to Lara's nose. "Mushrooms! Wow! I'm actually impressed!" she exclaimed._

_Merry and Pippin said nothing, but looked smug. When Lara started to run again, they followed, and after a time they reached a dark, secluded area right behind her house._

_"I've got to get home," Lara said. "My mom's going to be wondering where I am."_

_"You can't tell her, of course," Merry said._

_"No. She might get it out of me anyways, though."_

_"Just clean the corn out of your hair, then tell her you fell into some dirt when we were chasing each other or something," Merry said._

_She reached up and started to pick corn out of her long hair. "Will do. Meet me here after lunch. And don't you dare eat all those mushrooms."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Frodo was reading at his tree the day of Bilbo's big party, when he heard the sound of a cart approaching, and someone singing in a low, deep voice. Closing his book quickly, he stood up and grinned. Gandalf, he thought. He started to dash through the forest, and continued until he was running down a grassy knoll. He hurriedly stopped before he went over the edge of a short cliff, to see a cart in the road with an old man it it, with a long grey beard and pointed hat. Frodo folded his arms at him. "You're late," he said.

The man slowly turned to look at him, stopping the cart. "A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

They stared at each other for a few seconds seriously, then couldn't take it anymore and both burst out laughing. Frodo leaped into the cart. "It's wonderful to see you Gandalf!" he said, hugging him.

"You didn't think I'd miss your Uncle Bilbo's birthday?" Gandalf said, eyes twinkling. He continued to drive the cart down the road towards Bag End. "So how is the old rascal? I hear it's going to be a party of special magnificence."

"You know Bilbo. He's got the whole place in an uproar," Frodo said, sounding amused.

Gandalf chuckled a little, still puffing on his pipe. "Well, that should please him."

"Half the Shire's been invited. And the rest of them are turning up anyway," Frodo said, making Gandalf laugh, as they passed a field of yellow flowers with women out tending them. They got to a bridge that started to enter the town part of Hobbiton, then through a neighborhood of houses.

"To tell you the truth," Frodo said, "Bilbo's acting a bit odd lately. I mean, more than usual," he said, looking up at Gandalf. "He's taken to locking himself in his study. He spends hours pouring over old maps when he thinks I'm not looking. He's up to something," he finished, lost in thought about his Uncle. Frodo looked up to see Gandalf peeking at him, then quickly looking away. "All right, then," Frodo said grinning. "Keep your secrets."

"What?"

"But I know you have something to do with it."

"Good gracious me," Gandalf said, feigning that he was offended.

Frodo nodded and continued, still smiling. "Before you came along, we Bagginses were very well thought of.

"Indeed," Gandalf said, nodding.

Never had any adventures or did anything unexpected."

"If you're referring to the incident with the dragon, I was barely involved. All I did was...give your Uncle a little nudge out of the door."

"Well, whatever you did, you've been officially labeled a disturber of the peace."

"Oh, really?" Gandalf said as if he could hardly believe it, looking around to see children, girls and boys, come dashing from every house and field, yelling "Gandalf! Gandalf!"

They stopped in a group behind his cart, looking disbelieving. "Fireworks Gandalf!"

Frodo looked up at Gandalf, half grinning, knowing he wouldn't disappoint the kids. Just as they were starting to get down, Gandalf let off some fireworks. The children started cheering and Frodo smiled up at Gandalf, who was laughing.

Just then, Lara came out of the field on Frodo's side of the cart, and seeing the cart, she grinned, and started jogging alongside to keep up. "Gandalf! You're here!"

Gandalf looked down and didn't seem at all surprised to see her there. "Lara, how wonderful to see you, lass."

Still running, Lara said, "So, you're here for Bilbo's big day?" She grinned up at Frodo.

"Wouldn't miss it," Gandalf said.

"Frodo, will you come help me find Merry and Pippin?"

Frodo looked at Gandalf, who nodded knowingly. Frodo stood up and said, "Gandalf. I'm glad you're back," and he swung off the cart to join Lara on the ground.

"So am I dear boy!" Gandalf said. Lara and Frodo turned and headed in the direction of the shade of the trees, then looked back and waved. Smiling, Gandalf watched them go. "So am I," he muttered to himself.

"Why do you need my help to find Merry and Pippin?" Frodo asked, as he and Lara were walking along in the shaded forest, looking for them.

"Because they will listen to you when you tell them to stop."

"They listen to you more than me! And stop what?"

Lara laughed. "I have a feeling they are getting into trouble."

Frodo looked sideways at her. "You're going to the party right?"

Lara looked at him as if she had never seen him before. "How many times have you asked me that? Of course I'm coming, I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Sorry, I was just making sure."

She shook her head, smiling. "Why?"

"Well...," but he was interrupted by an apple hitting his head. "Ouch! What the...?" Frodo said, rubbing the back of his head and picking up the offending apple off the ground. Lara and Frodo looked up to see Merry and Pippin lounging on the tree branches above them.

"What are you two doing up there?" Lara said, until she saw two pipes in their mouths. "Oh, never mind. I can see you're busy with your pipes."

"Not at all," Pippin said. "We were just wondering if we should come find you."

They climbed down the tree, Merry landing next to Frodo, Pippin on top. "Ouch! Pippin!" Frodo said, pushing him off. Lara hurried over and helped him up.

"Pippin, grow up."

Pippin pretended to look hurt. "I am a grown man. I am smoking a pipe, here. You can't do that, now can you? You're not of age."

Lara sneered at him. "I wouldn't want to anyways. That's disgusting."

Pippin just shook his head and puffed in her face. "Pippin, quit," Frodo said.

"Well, now that I know that you two aren't stealing something-or-or-setting something on fire or causing some kind of meyhem, then I'm going to go get ready."

"Ready for what?" Merry asked.

"The party," Lara stated, rolling her eyes as if it were obvious.

"The party isn't until tonight," Pippin said.

"Your point?" she said, as she started to back away.

"She has to look nice," Merry said, looking at her. "Right?"

Lara looked confused. "Uh..sure, Merry. Well...bye guys," she said, and left in the direction of the town.

Merry watched her go. "What is it with her? I was going to ask her to go to the party with me..."

"What?" Frodo said, caught completely off guard, as he too was still watching her leave. "You were?"

"Oh, come on Frodo. That's old news. Everyone knows that," Pippin said, grinning.

"As friends," Merry quickly added.

Frodo had nothing to say, but was feeling slightly annoyed for some reason. "Look, I have to go help with the party. See you guys there."

And he turned and left before they could say anything more.

**a/n-Italics are flashbacks, just to let u kno. oh, and umm...review! lol!**


	2. A Party

**Chapter 2: A Party**

_Lara ate a hasty lunch so she get back outside to Merry and Pippin; she had to make sure they didn't gobble all those delicious mushrooms themselves!_

_"Lara," her mother said, coming into the little kitchen, "don't you want to stay indoors and read for awhile?"_

_"Not today," Lara said, quickly thrusting the food in her mouth._

_"Darling! Slow down! The food won't get up and walk away, you know."_

_Lara swallowed. "Sorry, mom. I'm just in a hurry, is all."_

_Her mother smiled at her, then walked around the table and starting braiding Lara's hair as she ate. "I remember being your age," she said fondly. "My mother wouldn't let me go outdoors a whole lot, much less play with lads."_

_"Merry and Pippin are my best friends," she said stoutly._

_Her mother tied her hair and leaned over Lara's shoulder. "Don't worry," she said. "I won't forbid you; I hated my mother's rules when I was little. All I ask is that you don't get into mischief." She kissed her daughter's cheek, and, seeing her empty plate, said, "All done?"_

_Lara nodded, running her hand over her new braid. Her mother took her plate, and said, "Now I want you back by supper as usual. And you are studying tonight."_

_Lara groaned inwardly, but tried not to show it in her face. Maybe her mom would forget that part. You never know. "Sure, Mom. See you at supper!"_

_Her mother stood and watched her little daughter hurry outdoors, shaking her head with a smile._

_Lara rushed down the dirt front walk to her hole, reached the gate, and flung it open. She peered in the direction of Merry and Pippin's holes, but saw no one. She sighed; there was no way they were done eating yet, not with Pippin having fourth helpings. She ran down the road until she came to a huge willow tree that was in a field on side. She scaled the tree to try and get a better view of Merry and Pippin's holes, but was unsuccessful._

_She climbed down the thick trunk of the willow, getting little leaves stuck in her hair. She heard a noise coming from the road, startling her, before she realized it was just the sound of horses clopping on the cobblestone road. A carriage, she thought, and swiftly ducked behind the tree trunk to observe._

_After a few moments, she caught a glimpse of two chestnut colored horses pulling a carriage, but despite her desperate attempts, Lara couldn't see who was in it, since the top was covered. She pulled her head back behind the tree again. This carriage was not coming from any part of Hobbiton; it was coming from the road that led elsewhere. It must be a distant traveler! She immediately got a picture of a Dwarf in her head, the ones she had heard so much of in the stories Bilbo told._

_Then it hit her. Bilbo! The Dwarf was coming to visit Bilbo! She peeked out from behind the tree again, and the carriage was still continuing down the road, toward Bagshot Row. Lara began to get excited. She scuttled out from her hiding place, then ran as fast as she could to Merry's hole. As soon as she opened the gate, he and Pippin came outside, licking their fingers. She guessed Pippin had come over for lunch, and felt slightly hurt they hadn't invited her, but instantly forgot about it in her excitement._

_"Merry! Pippin!" she said, out of breath._

_"Whoa! Lara, settle down. It's ok, I have all the mushrooms right here," Pippin said reassuringly._

_"No, no, no! You have to come with me! Come on!"_

_She tried to run away, but Merry grabbed her arm. "Hold on. Explain please."_

_Lara took a deep breath. "Okay, okay. On my way here-"_

_"Why were you coming to Merry's house? We were meeting in the forest," Pippin interrupted._

_"Never mind that!" Lara said impatiently. "Well, I was coming here on the road and I heard a carriage, so I kept behind a tree, but the carriage was covered so I couldn't see who was in it. Anyways, the carriage was coming from the road that led out of Hobbiton!"_

_"A traveler?" Merry exclaimed, eyes wide._

_"Maybe it's an Elf!" Pippin said eagerly._

_"Or a Dwarf," Lara added. Then said, "And guess where the carriage was headed?"_

_Merry and Pippin looked at each other in awe. "Bag End," they said together, in barely a whisper._

_"Let's go!" Pippin shouted._

_The three panting hobbits arrived on the doorway of Bag End, suddenly realizing something. They were very scared to meet a Dwarf or an Elf. But of course, none of them wanted to admit it._

_"Pippin," Lara said, "knock!"_

_Pippin stepped back and put his hands on his hips. "Why don't you?"_

_"Because...well...you're the guy!"_

_"That's never stopped you before," Merry said to Lara._

_"Yeah," Pippin added. "You always do guy things."_

_Lara glared at them. "You knock," she said. rounding on Merry._

_"Well...what if Bilbo is busy or something, I mean, we don't want to interrupt-"_

_"Oh, for goodness sake!" Lara said. "Pippin, just do it."_

_"No way!"_

_Lara took Pippin and attempted to push him toward the door, but he put up a very good fight. After the two struggled a couple seconds, Merry bounded forward and helped Lara push Pippin toward the door. With Merry's force, Pippin was thrown against the door, which made a loud Thump!_

_The three hobbits froze, hardly daring to breathe. They heard footsteps approaching the door and tried to make a run for it, but the door opened before they got anywhere._

_Bilbo opened the door and almost laughed outright at what he saw. The three little hobbits were red as cherries in the sweltering August heat, and they looked terrified out of their wits. Instead, he merely smiled. "Meriadoc, Peregrin, and Lara. How are you this fine afternoon?"_

_Pippin opened his mouth but no sound came out. He was trying to peek around Bilbo to see if anyone was inside. Merry finally answered. "We're great, Bilbo."_

_Bilbo took in their disheveled appearance. "What have you been up to?"_

_When none of them answered, Bilbo smiled knowingly. "Never you mind, I shouldn't have asked." He looked at Pippin, who was still trying to see past Bilbo, and chuckled. "You youngsters must have heard I have someone here."_

_At this, the three looked at each other, hardly daring to believe it. Lara's heart began fluttering wildly. None of them said anything._

_Bilbo shook his head. "Quiet today, are we? Well, come inside and you can meet my new heir, and possibly a story, if you want it."_

_Heir? Lara thought. A dwarf can't be an heir to a hobbit! Though disappointed, she was still curious as to who this mysterious heir was, and by the looks on their faces, Merry and Pippin were interested too._

_The three edged into the room and stood nervously in the hallway, hunting around with their eyes, but seeing no one. "Well, go on, go on, go sit at the table, and I'll go fetch Frodo and make you some tea," Bilbo said, motioning toward the splendid dining room._

_"Frodo?" Pippin said. "Our cousin?"_

_"Yes, yes, cousin Frodo," Bilbo said smiling. "Now go on."_

_Pippin, always the first to go towards a chance of food, headed towards the dining room, Lara and Merry following._

_Once they had sat around the table Lara immediately whispered to Merry and Pippin, with questioning eyes, "Cousin Frodo?"_

_"Yeah, he's our cousin," Merry answered._

_"Oh great," Lara said, shaking her head._

_"What?"_

_"That's just what a need. Another one of you two."_

_"Hey!" Pippin said, pushing her playfully._

_Merry, however, was serious. "He's not like us though. I mean, he's fun, but he's quiet too."_

_"Is he our age?"_

_"Yep."_

_Bilbo re-entered the kitchen with a small figure hiding behind his legs. "Well, come on Frodo, don't be shy."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A large firework burst above the festivities. Everywhere he looked, Frodo saw hobbits dancing, drinking, eating, or children running around. He saw some hobbits bringing more ale kegs to the tables near the dance area, and some more hobbits carrying a large cake. This certainly was one of the grandest parties ever held in the Shire.

Lara was nervous as she walked into the gate to the party, though she didn't know why. It probably had to do with being around so many people. She had worn her hair down and curly, which didn't happen very often, her favorite dress, which was green, and her grey eyes were shining with excitement. She was immediately greeted by Bilbo at the gate. "Lara! Come on in, come on in, everyone is here, but good luck finding them!" said Bilbo, gesturing to the large mass of hobbits behind him.

Lara smiled at him, and leaned in to give him a hug. "Thanks Bilbo. Happy birthday!"

Bilbo smiled and waved her on, then turned to greet the next newcomers. As she was walking away, Lara heard him say "Mrs. Bracegirdle, welcome, welcome. Are all these children yours? Good gracious, you have been productive!" Lara snorted loudly, causing several older hobbits to look at her with disapproval. She felt someone tug her hair and turned.

"What are you laughing at?" Pippin asked.

"Oh, nothing," Lara said, grinning. "So where is everybody?"

"Merry is in that tent over there...I was supposed to come find you.."

Uh oh. Lara knew that tone. "What now?"

"We wanted to steal a firework. But we needed to boost someone up into the cart, and since you know, you're really small-"

"Absolutely not!"

"Oh come on, everyone will love it!"

"You are going to blow something up!"

"No we won't! We know how to do it, and besides, Gandalf won't know."

"And what if we get caught, what then?"

"We won't!"

Lara started to walk away. "No way. I will have no part in it. Good luck."

Pippin stepped in front of her. "Please...," he said, giving her puppy dog eyes.

Lara shook her head. "That isn't going to work. Oh, come on, Pippin, just-," she sighed. "Alright! Fine! But I will only get the firework for you, I will not-did you hear me?-NOT help set it off."

"Yes!" Pippin said, punching the air with his fist. "Let's go!" He grabbed her wrist and led her to the tent where Merry was. They ducked inside.

"Hi, Lara," Merry said shyly. "You look nice."

"Oh...thanks Merry. Now where are the fireworks?"

"Out there," he said. "They're in a big cart. I'm going to go out there and wait for Gandalf to come get some, then when the coast is clear, we'll get some, but we have to hurry."

Lara sighed. "I can't believe I'm doing this. I always end up listening to you two anyways, even when I say I won't."

"That's because you're our best friend in the whole wide world," Pippin said.

"Oh, cut the mush. You're just being nice to me because I'm helping you," Lara said, trying hard not to laugh so Pippin wouldn't know she thought he was being funny.

"Ok, I'm going," Merry said, and he ducked outside.

A minute later, Lara and Pippin heard Gandalf cackling to himself, so they assumed he had grabbed some more fireworks, and they were sure when Merry punched the tent where Pippin was. Immediately, as if soldiers on command, Pippin and Lara crawled out.

"Quickly!" Merry whispered. He and Pippin put their hands together and Lara put her feet on them. They launched her onto the bed of fireworks. Merry took a quick check at Gandalf, but they were safe, he was still entertaining the kids with butterfly fireworks. After fumbling around a couple seconds, Lara held up an blue firework.

"No, no, the big one, big one!" Merry said quietly, checking for Gandalfagain. She saw a big, red dragon- shaped firework, and knew she had hit the jackpot. She held it up for confirmation and Merry and Pippin both opened their mouths in excitement. She grabbed the rocket and took a flying leap down to the ground, and her, Merry and Pippin scuttled out of sight, and into a tent.

"I feel horrible," Lara said. "The first thing I do at Bilbo and Frodo's special party is help you two cause trouble. Now I'm getting out of here," she said.

"We aren't setting it off yet," Pippin said. "We're going to go eat first."

"Of course, how did I not know that?" Lara said.

"Are you coming with us?"

"No, actually, I'm going to find Frodo and Sam. See you," and she turned and went in the direction of the dancing hobbits, even though Merry and Pippin looked disappointed that she was leaving.

She immediately spotted Sam sitting at a table, so she went over to sit with him. "Hello, Sam," she said. "How are you?"

"Hello, miss Lara. I'm alright, I suppose," he said, heaving a big sigh.

"Sam, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all!"

"Well, why aren't you dancing?"

"Why aren't you, Miss? Pretty thing like you, you should be out there!"

Lara smiled. "Well thank you Sam! But I'm not that big of a dancer, you know."

She scanned the crowd of dancers and spotted Frodo among them, wearing a white long sleeve shirt and a brown vest over it. He looked like he had been dancing a long time, because he was very red. Sam too, was scanning the dancers. "Did you just get here?" he asked.

"Well...sort of. I was with Merry and Pippin for a few seconds."

Sam chuckled. "Where are they now?"

"Eating," Lara said, "like always."

Frodo saw Lara and Sam sitting down and hastily stopped dancing. He hurried over and plopped into the chair. "Hello, Lara!" He turned to Sam. "Go on Sam! Ask Rosie for a dance!" Suddenly, Lara knew why Sam had been scanning the dancers.

"Yes, Sam! Go!" she said.

"I think I'll just have another ale," he said, trying to get up and go away.

Frodo stood up and went behind him. "Oh, no you don't," he said, and pushed Sam into the crowd of dancers. "Go on!" Rosie, who was just dancing by, didn't even seem surprised that Sam just appeared into her arms, but instead just swung him around and started to dance.

Frodo sat and watched, laughing. Lara hit him playfully. "Stop laughing! It's not funny! Poor Sam!"

"I did it for his own good, it's about time he danced with Rosie, you know that."

"Yeah," Lara said. "I guess so. How long have you been dancing? You're really flushed."

They were interrupted by a huge firework from Gandalf. "Not too long," Frodo said. "Have you seen Merry and Pippin?"

"Yeah..."

"You look guilty."

Lara grinned. "Maybe I'll just go have another ale," she said, mimicking Sam.

Frodo grabbed her arm and sat her down. "You're not of age."

"Uh, don't remind me."

"Sorry. So, why such a guilty conscience?"

She shook her head, smiling. "You know me too well. Merry and Pippin have a huge firework they are going to set off. And I helped them get it."

Frodo shook his head. "Well, I hope they don't kill anyone."

The hobbits dancing started doing a mixer. Frodo stood up. "Come on!"

"What?"

"Come dance with me!"

"There is no way I am dancing."

"Oh yes there is!"

"Frodo, no."

Frodo looked so disappointed that Lara instantly felt bad. It was his birthday, after all. "Oh, fine. I'm coming, I'm coming." Frodo grinned and pulled her into the group of hobbits. After swinging around arms for a while, the mixer stopped and she ended up back with Frodo. "Back so soon?" he said jokingly, his eyes sparkling with fun. "See, it's not that bad, is it?"

"I guess not," Lara said, not wanting to admit that she was having a blast. The dance slowed down a bit, and so did they. Frodo absentmindedly started wrapping Lara's curls around his fingers. "Are you here with anyone?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Were you escorted here with anyone?"

"Like a boy?"

Frodo rolled his eyes, grinning. "No, a girl. Yes, like a boy!"

"Oh...no."

"Oh," Frodo said, feeling secretly pleased. After a few more minutes of dancing in silence, the particular song ended and another started up.

"I'm going to go find Merry and Pippin," Lara said, stopping.

"Oh. Ok. I'll see you later I guess. Thanks for dancing with me."

"You kept me entertained," Lara said, laughing. "Bye for now," and she gave a little wave and hurried off. Frodo couldn't help watching her long curls as she left. He rarely saw her hair down. He gave himself a little shake, and started walking by the tents and ran right into Bilbo.

"Sackville-Bagginses!" Bilbo hissed desperately. "Quickly, hide!" He and Frodo went into an open tent, and turned their heads the other way,Bilbo hiding behind his coat, hoping that their horrid relatives wouldn't see them.

Bilbo breathed a sigh of relief when they turned and headed the other way. "Thank you, my boy," he said.

Frodo smiled but grew serious again when Bilbo started talking. "You're a good lad, Frodo," Bilbo said. "I'm..very selfish, you know. Yes! I am. Very selfish. I don't know why I took you in after your mother and father died, but it wasn't out of charity. I think it was because-of all my numerous relations-you were the one Baggins that showed real...spirit."

Frodo was confused as to why Bilbo was being so sentimental all of the sudden. "Bilbo, have you been at the Gaffer's home brew?" he asked suspiciously.

"No!" Bilbo said, startled. "well...yes, but that's not the point. The point is, Frodo...you'll be all right."

XXX

Lara couldn't help herself. As much as she had enjoyed dancing with Frodo, she had to go see when Merry and Pippin were setting off the firework. She found them at a table laden with food, and sat down next to Merry. "Are you guys almost done yet?"

"Yeah," Pippin said, showing her every bit of food in his mouth.

Lara closed her eyes for a second as if she was trying to gain patience. Pippin swallowed. "Have you decided to come watch the show?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but-yes."

"Well, should we do it now?" he said, turning to Merry.

"Yes! Come on, let's go!" Merry said.

"I'll meet up with you there in a second," Lara said, and helped herself to some food.

Merry and Pippin shrugged and went to go get their explosive. After Lara had eaten a slice of cake very quickly, she hurried off to the tent where Merry and Pippin had been, and was surprised to see them already in there, with the firework ready to go, and Pippin bending down to light the fuse. Wait a minute...they were in a tent!

"What are you doing?" she screeched. Too late.

They payed no attention to her. "Done!" Pippin said triumphantly.

"You're supposed to stick it in the ground!" Merry said, pushing it into Pippin's arms.

"It is in the ground!" Pippin said, pushing it back.

"Outside!" Merry said, but Lara had seen enough. She took off as fast as she could away from the tent, and seconds after she was away from it, the tent went up into the air, the firework burning it as it moved, making the tent light up and sparkle. Lara kept running away from the crime scene, as hobbits around her were gasping and pointing at the beautiful firework. She elbowed her way through people and came to Frodo and Bilbo. Frodo turned.

"Lara! I-" but then he looked up and saw the firework starting to come straight down at the now running hobbits. "Bilbo," he said. "Bilbo, watch out for the dragon!" Lara was surrounded by screaming hobbits, and hobbits falling over tables, so she grabbed Frodo's shirt so she wouldn't get lost in the pandemonium.

Bilbo, who obviously couldn't hear the racket his guests were making, kept walking. "Dragon?" he said. "Nonsense, there hasn't been a dragon in these parts for a thousand years!" but Frodo grabbed him and Lara and pulled them to the ground just in time. The dragon swooped over all the hobbits' heads and they all looked up, watching it fly. Suddenly, there was a great, beautiful explosion, and the hobbits started cheering and clapping. Lara, Frodo, and Bilbo, who were still on their hands and knees, started laughing.

"Are you all right?" Frodo asked Lara.

"I'm fine, thanks. I just can't BELIEVE Merry and Pippin. Those two! They set it off in a tent!"

Frodo started laughing really hard again. "Are you serious?"

"I wish I was kidding."

Suddenly, they heard hobbits calling out, "Speech, speech!" Frodo and Lara went to sit at a table as Bilbo went up to the front of them all to more choruses of "Speech, Bilbo!"

Lara turned around and saw Merry and Pippin washing dishes, closely watched by Gandalf. She giggled and nudged Frodo, who looked at her, then turned and started laughing for a third time. "They were so sure they weren't going to get caught," she said.

"What about you?" Frodo said. "You don't think they'd turn you in?"

"Nope. They know better."

"Well...what about me?" Frodo said. "I know about it. What if I turned you in?" he said, grinning mischievously at her.

"Haha, very funny. I know you wouldn't do that."

"You're right. I wouldn't."

Their conversation ended as Bilbo stood up on a barrel to deliver his speech. The eager hobbits were still clapping and cheering.

"My dear Bagginses and Boffins," Bilbo began. "Tooks, and Brandybucks! Grubbs-"

"Hey!" the Grubbs chorused, raising their mugs.

"Chubbs-"

"Hey!"

"Hornblowers-"

"Hey!"

"Bolgers!"

"Hey!"

"Bracegirdles!" More clapping. "And Proudfoots!"

"Proudfeet!" an elderly hobbit sitting at a table shouted. The crowd laughed. Bilbo waved his hand at him.

"Today is my 111th birthday!" Bilbo said happily.

"Happy birthday!" the crowd echoed at him.

"But alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live along such excellent and admirable hobbits."

The hobbits clapped, looking pleased. They liked this speech so far.

"I don't know half as you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." The crowd blinked and looked around, confused. They were trying to sort out the words to see if they were being insulted or complimented.

"I uh-I have things to do," Bilbo said, quieter now, and reaching into his front jacket pocket. Lara was getting really puzzled, not to mention a little scared. Why was Bilbo acting so strange? She peeked at Frodo, and saw his smile was slowly fading at Bilbo's odd behavior. Bilbo put both his hands behind his back. Lara saw him mutter something to himself, but she couldn't hear what he said. Then she heard him say, loudly, into the piercing silence, "I regret to announce this is the end! I'm going now. I bind you all a very fond farewell." He locked eyes with Frodo. "Goodbye," he said gently, and disappeared into thin air.


	3. Smartness and Golden Ale

**Reviewers**

**twilight1650- **idk, nothing was really wrong i guess, but i just had a lot of changes i wanted to make, like i added the flashbacks and everything cuz i suddenly got that idea from watching Lost lol. n e hoo, i hope u like the newer one...

**MotRD-** sry bout that lol i deleted the old story cuz i just wanted a brand new start, but im so glad u found it again. and i wasnt rly fond of the name Natalie either now i come to think of it...not for a hobbit name ne ways. im so happy u like the changes, and i will keep them coming LOL! thx!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Smartness and Golden Ale**

_Frodo timidly stepped out from behind his Uncle Bilbo's legs and gazed at the newcomers. Lara's first impression of Frodo was that if he were taller, he could be an Elf. She had never seen a hobbit quite like him before. He was pale, or perhaps looked more so because of his shock of very curly, midnight black hair, about the length of Merry's. He was of average size, which meant he was taller than Lara, but what really intrigued her was his huge, amazingly blue eyes._

_Frodo watched the newcomers for a few moments nervously. Bilbo patted his shoulders and looked at the rest of them. Merry and Pippin stepped forward to greet Frodo, as they already knew him, but Lara just stayed back and waited for someone to introduce her._

_"Lara, this is Frodo," Bilbo said kindly, putting Frodo forward with his hands on his shoulders. "And Frodo...Lara." Lara shyly stepped forward a bit._

_"Hello," Frodo said, so quietly she could hardly hear him, giving her a polite smile._

_"Hello," she replied, smiling back. How odd, she thought. He's related to Merry and Pippin. Why is he so quiet?_

_After a few seconds' silence, Bilbo announced that he would be making tea. "Why don't you all just wait around the table and get to know each other better, hmm?" He bustled to the kitchen, and the four young hobbits all looked at each other._

_"I'm starving," Pippin announced, to break the long silence._

_Normally, Lara would have come back with a sassy reply, but right now she stayed quiet. They gathered around and sat at the large table, Pippin and Merry doing all the talking and making forced conversation. But mostly it was awkward silence. Lara was relieved when Bilbo came back into the room, with tea and muffins to serve to them._

_As they ate, Bilbo told them a story of his travels, Lara's favorite: The one with the trolls. She didn't listen as intently as usual, for she was busily studying the shy hobbit across the table._

_He seemed very gloomy about something, and she noticed he barely picked at his food. Although he looked as if he was listening to the story with some interest, he never spoke unless directly asked a question that wasn't a yes or no answer. She didn't try to talk to him; for some reason, she felt a little afraid to._

_"But finally, they had spent so much time arguing, that the sun crept over the trees, and Poof! They all turned into stone!" Bilbo finished dramatically._

_After a few more moments, Lara declared she must be going home. She gratefully thanked Bilbo for the tea and story, and stood up. "Come back soon, lass. Maybe tomorrow?" Bilbo asked._

_She nodded. "Certainly, if I can. Thanks again, Bilbo. Nice to meet you, Frodo," she said, finally addressing him. He nodded, then seemed to just think of something._

_"Shall I walk you home?" he asked quietly, but politely, surprising her._

_"Well...sure, if you want to."_

_Merry and Pippin stood up as well. "We'll come too!"_

_Bilbo smiled at them all, clearly happy that Frodo seemed to be getting along ok. "Alright then, well I might be seeing you again tomorrow." He waved, then disappeared into one of the back rooms._

_The four hobbits exited Bag End and started for Lara's house. "So Frodo, have you met many more hobbits?" Merry asked._

_"No, I had only just arrived when you came to the door. But Bilbo is having the Gamgees over for supper tonight."_

_It was the most Lara had ever heard him say at one time. "You'll really like Sam," she said, trying to be friendly. Frodo nodded but said nothing, just continued to stare off into the distance._

_Lara lay in bed that night thinking about this strange new addition to Bilbo's home. No doubt he had only offered to walk her home because he had good manners, for a young hobbit. He must have been raised that way; perhaps very formal, or in a way which children are seen and not heard, because she had never seen a hobbit that quiet. Especially one related to a Brandybuck and a Took._

* * *

_Three years had passed since Frodo Baggins had come to live with Bilbo in Bag End. Lara remembered finding out the reason behind his glumness; Merry and Pippin told her his parents had both died in a drowning accident, which is why he came to live with Bilbo. Lara found that simply horrible, and she worked extra hard to be friendly._

_Eventually, Frodo became close friends with them all, as did Samwise Gamgee, who had joined in the tradition of listening to Bilbo's stories. Although the five friends were very different, they did had one thing in common: their sense of adventure, which brought them to Bag End for a story almost every day._

_This particular day, however, at the end of August, they did not feel like listening to a story. All five were outside, lounging under a huge beech tree to try and get some shade. Their faces were all glistening with a layer of sweat from the humid air, and no wind blew to relieve them. They were all longing to jump into the little pond next to the tree, as the water looked so cool and refreshing._

_"It sure is hot out here," Pippin said, who was attempting to climb the tree, but had finally given up, and was slumped at its base._

_"Way to go, Pippin! You've learned to tell the difference between hot and cold!" Lara said sarcastically, feigning excitement and patting him on the back._

_Frodo, Sam, and Merry dissolved into fits of laughter. Pippin looked peeved. "Of course I know the difference. And right now, that water looks cold, and I wish I could jump in."_

_Merry looked over at him. "You can't swim, Pip."_

_Lara started to laugh, then covered it with a cough._

_"What, may I ask, is so funny?" Pippin said, glaring. The heat was obviously putting him in a bad mood. "You can't swim either, you know. None of you can."_

_"Yes, well, I can do lots of things better than you," she replied._

_"No you can't!"_

_"Oh really? Why not?"_

_"Because you're a girl, and I'm a boy. Boy's are bigger, better, faster, and stronger."_

_Sam and Frodo looked at each other. Pippin was in big trouble now._

_She glowered at him. "Take that back, Peregrin Took."_

_Yep, big trouble. She used his full name._

_Pippin could tell he hit a nerve. There was nothing Lara hated worse than being told that boys were better than girls. But he was enjoying himself. "Nope," he said._

_"Get up, then," she said, standing up._

_"What?"_

_"Let's have a foot race. We'll see who's faster."_

_Pippin sighed. "Ok, I take that part back."_

_"That's what I thought," she said, sitting in the grass again._

_He grinned at her. "We're still stronger though."_

_She was silent for a few moments, gazing at the pond, and then a slow smile lit her face. Frodo could almost visualize a plan forming. Pippin was eyeing her with a wary look in his eyes. She stood still for a few seconds, then, without warning, ran to the ponds edge. __The boys leaped to their feet, thinking she was jumping in. "What is she doing!?" Merry said._

_She swung her backpack off her back and dumped out its contents; which wasn't much, just a few carrots and some lettuce. She pitched her bag under the surface and filled it with water, and dumped it on her head. After repeating this several times, she looked she had either jumped in the pond or gotten caught in a really bad rainstorm._

_Now listen, Pippin," she said, turning back and giving him an evil little smile. "Maybe boys are stronger than girls. Maybe they are bigger. But girls are smarter, which is what is important."_

_Pippin looked at her as if scared for her sanity. "So," he said slowly, "to prove you're smarter than me, you dump a bunch of water on your head. That makes a ton of sense."_

_"I had a reason."_

_"Like what?"_

_"You'll see," she said, grinning wickedly, and took off back to the direction of the houses._

_"Where is she going?" Pippin said wearily._

_"Let's follow her!" Merry exclaimed, and the four boys chased after her. She ran through the fields, down the road, and past her house. They were just starting to wonder where she was going when she turned on a path in the road, and her destination became very clear: Bag End._

_"What in the world..." Pippin began, but quieted down once she darted inside. The boys arrived moments later and were surprised to see that Lara was crying on Bilbo's shoulder._

_"I don't know why he did it, Bilbo," she was saying, sobbing._

_Bilbo looked up to see them standing petrified in the doorway. "Alright," he said kindly to Lara, "go on in the kitchen and I'll make some tea and warm you up. I'm sure that was very scary for you." She nodded, sniffling and wiping her eyes, then padded off to the kitchen._

_Bilbo turned to the boys. "Everyone except for Peregrin, go sit in the den," he said. "Peregrin, meet me in my study," he said sternly._

_And suddenly, they all realized what Lara had done. She had told Bilbo that Pippin had pushed her in the pond! She knew that she was the more believable one, that Bilbo wouldn't believe Pippin when he told him she was lying. Pippin slowly made his way to Bilbo's study, a look of dread on his face, and the rest sat down._

_Bilbo went into the kitchen for a couple minutes, probably to give Lara some tea and biscuits. He came back out, and passed through the den on his way to the study, and Merry, Frodo, and Sam could see a grim look on his face._

_About five minutes later, he and Pippin emerged from the hallway. He whispered something to Pippin, who looked downcast. Pippin nodded and went into the kitchen. "I'm having him apologize to her," Bilbo said lightly to the rest, and they all looked at each other. They wondered what was really happening in there. They were surprised they didn't hear yelling yet._

_After they came out, both with somber faces, Bilbo instructed the boys to walk Lara home. Once they were all outside, everyone but Pippin burst out laughing. "Aw, Pippin, lighten up," Lara said, patting his shoulder._

_"Lighten up? You framed it on me, and he believed you!"_

_"I knew he would. You see, I'm a girl," she said, putting emphasis on the word girl. "Bilbo would believe any girl over a troublemaker boy like you anyday."_

_Pippin looked at her. "You won't tell your mother I pushed you in, will you?"_

_"Nah. I'll tell her I was clumsy and fell, or something. No need to get you in trouble with two adults."_

_"Good. I've learned my lesson. Never say that boys are better in any way to Lara."_

_Lara smiled. "Glad I got my point across."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lara clutched Frodo's arm, terrified, as shrieks and gasps came from the hobbits around them. Then, utter chaos broke out. People were running around, trying to find their children so they could leave, some looking for Bilbo, and some just running around just to run and be like everybody else. Frodo, however, did not move.

"Frodo?"

He payed no attention. "Frodo!" Lara said louder, shaking his arm. He turned to look at her with his enormous blue eyes. "Frodo, what's happening? Where's Bilbo?" Lara asked.

She was very scared, and it seemed Frodo could tell because he said, "I don't know. But it's going to be alright. Let's just go look for him."

She nodded, got up, and let Frodo pull her through the crowd, although she had idea where he was going. He was heading back to where Merry and Pippin had been washing dishes, and then she understood. He was looking for Gandalf. But they got back there and looked around, and there was no sign of Merry, Pippin, or Gandalf.

"Oh, don't tell me they're gone too!" Lara wailed, close to tears.

Frodo grabbed her shoulders. "No. We're going to find them. I promise."

They kept searching, and finally spotted Merry and Pippin in the crowd. Frodo hurried up to them, Lara right behind him. She grabbed both of them and hugged them so hard she almost knocked them over.

"Whoa! Lara, what's up with you?" Pippin said, looking down at her.

"I-I thought that you had disappeared too! Just-don't do that again!"

"Are you ok?" Merry asked, grabbing her shoulders and looking concerned.

"She's fine," Frodo said irritably. "She's been with me. Now have you two seen Gandalf?"

"He took off right when Bilbo disappeared," Merry said.

"Which way?"

"Towards the gate."

Frodo looked at the gate to enter the party as if he expected to see Gandalf there. He looked back at the rest of the group. "I'm going to go check in the house," he said.

"I'll come too," Lara said, "but first I'm going to find Sam."

"I"ll help you," Merry said.

"Me too," said Pippin.

"Meet me at the house then, I suppose," Frodo said.

"Frodo," Lara said, looking worried, "please be careful."

He nodded. "Don't worry. I will." He turned and hurried to the gate, and Merry, Pippin and Lara watched him climb the stairs up to his house.

Frodo was running by the time he got to the green door of his home, and he burst in the door, calling, "Bilbo! Bilbo!" He felt something under his feet and looked down. He bent down to pick it up, realizing it was Bilbo's ring. He examined it for a few seconds, then looked over and saw Gandalf sitting by the fire, puffing on a pipe and staring into space. "He's gone, hasn't he?" Frodo said. When Gandalf did not answer, Frodo started to walk toward him. "He talked for so long about leaving...I didn't think he'd really do it." He stopped when he reached Gandalf. "Gandalf?"

Gandalf seemed to snap out of it and looked over to see Bilbo's ring in Frodo's hand. He looked up at Frodo and smiled. "Bilbo's ring," he said. "He's gone to stay with the Elves. He's left you Bag End." He held out an open envelope. Frodo put the ring inside, and Gandalf quickly sealed the envelope. "Along with all his possessions," Gandalf finished, handing Frodo the envelope. Frodo, confused as to why Gandalf sealed the ring in an envelope, took it. "The ring is yours now," Gandalf said. "Put it somewhere out of sight."

He got up and started to hurry toward the exit, and Frodo trailed after him. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"There are some things that I must see to," Gandalf said, not even turning around.

"What things?"

"Questions. Questions that need answering."

"But you've only just arrived! I don't understand!"

Gandalf stopped in the doorway and turned to look at Frodo. "Neither do I," he said. He bent down under the chandelier. "Keep it secret. Keep it safe." And with those parting words, he turned and hurried out the door, closing it behind him.

XXX

**5 years later**:

Five years later, Gandalf had still not been seen around the Shire. The first year, Frodo constantly wondered where he was. But as four more years went by, Frodo started to forget about him and the Ring. All five hobbits were now of age. And, there was starting to be some strange talk in the Shire, about distant lands, and War brewing.

It was a normal night in the Shire, and everyone seemed to be at the Green Dragon, as usual. Merry and Pippin were standing on a table, arms around one another with drinks in their hands, singing, and Frodo was prancing around them with four mugs in his hands, also joining in the singing with them. Lara, who was with Rosie Cotton behind the bar, was watching the whole thing with interest.

"...to heal my heart and drown my woe, the rain may fall and wind may blow,

but there still be...many miles to go!

Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain,

And the stream that falls from hill to plain,

Better than rain or rippling brook-"

"IS A MUG OF BEER INSIDE THIS TOOK!" Pippin finished loudly, holding up his tankard.

Lara giggled. All the men roared with laughter, except for the table where Sam was at, with his Gaffer and two other old men. Lara was sitting on the table, watching Rosie dry a mug with a towel, and she noticed Rosie and Sam kept peeking at each other. She watched Frodo join the table and pass around drinks to all the men, then looked back to Sam, who was still staring at Rosie. She had to fight not to laugh.

"Um...Rosie?"

"Yes?" Rosie said, smiling at her.

"What's going on with you and Sam?"

"What?"

"You heard me," Lara said, grinning.

"Oh...nothing."

Lara said nothing, but just raised her eyebrows at her.

Soon after that, Lara decided she'd join the men's table. They most always were talking about something interesting. Turns out tonight, they were deep in discussion about distant lands, as so much of the Shire had been lately. She kneeled next to Frodo at the edge of the table. "So do you believe this?" she said.

He looked at her strangely. "Believe what?"

"All this talk about war."

"Oh...I don't know. I don't know what to think,"he said, trailing off and looking into space, but Lara noticed he looked slightly troubled.

"Something wrong?" she said.

He looked at her quickly. "Of course not!" he drained his mug. "Hey, you want a drink? You can have one now, you know, now that you're of age. I'll buy."

"Nah. I don't really feel like one right now, I guess. Thanks though."

He just nodded. Some time later, the hobbits decided they had had enough for one night, and after one more song from Merry and Pippin, they all started to file out of the Green Dragon. Rosie was standing at the door to bid everyone good night while drying a cup, and Lara was leaving with Frodo and Sam.

"Night lads," Rosie said to Frodo and Sam, and added, smiling at Lara, "and lass."

"Night," they all replied.

As they were walking away, they heard a man say loudly to Rosie, "Good night! Sweet maiden of the Golden Ale!"

"Boy, mind who you're sweet talking," Sam muttered angrily.

Frodo patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Sam. Rosie knows an idiot when she sees one."

"Does she?" Sam said worriedly.

Lara laughed. "Sam! Relax! You're not an idiot! And besides, Rosie can't stand that man."

"She can't?" Sam said hopefully.

"Nope."

"How do you know that?" Frodo asked curiously.

"Because she told me."

"Does she say anything about me?" Sam asked, still more hopefully.

Lara laughed. "Well, she doesn't say anything, but I'm positive she fancies you Sam."

"Really?"

"Really. But you didn't hear it from me."

Lara could tell she had just made Sam's night, because he was grinning the whole way home. After coming to Bag End, her and Sam bid Frodo good night, and then Sam walked her home so she wouldn't be alone in the dark. After saying goodbye to Sam, she headed into the house. She watched Sam leave from her window, and saw that he didn't go the way to the Gamgee hole, but back to Bag End instead. _Hmm_, she thought as she crawled into bed. _Strange_.

Little did she know that Sam had gone back to Frodo's house to eavesdrop on him and his unexpected visitor, Gandalf, which ended up earning him a ticket from Gandalf to start on the adventure of the One Ring.

**_Please Review!!_**


	4. Rocks and Riders

**a/n- long chapter, wow. hope it suits!**

**MotRD- **i know, the eyes are just amazing LOL

**Chapter 4: Rocks and Riders**

_Pippin and Lara eventually got over their little tiff, though it took a while for Pippin to speak to her afterwards. He got over it, though, and the friends started to meet up again, every day devising some new game or finding something new to do._

_September not only brought leaves to the ground, but it brought laziness to the Shire as well, which was odd, considering summer was the time for being lazy. Nevertheless, the laziness seemed to rub off on Frodo, and he and Sam started spending more times indoors and reading than outdoors with their friends._

_This eventually became a great source of annoyance to Merry, Pippin, and Lara, for they usually wanted to play games that needed more than three people, so one day, Merry and Pippin came up with an idea to put an end to it._

_"Remind me why we're doing this again," Lara said, trotting along to keep up with Merry and Pippin. They were in the forest behind Lara's house, near a river, and Merry and Pippin had told her to pick up and put as many rocks in her bag as she could find._

_"Just trust us," Merry said, picking up an exceptionally large rock and examining it before putting it in his bag._

_XXX_

_"Are you sure you can hit it from here?"_

_"Of course."_

_"We aren't too far away?"_

_"No, I can shoot further than this. Have lots of times. Can you see me?"_

_"We can from down here but we know where you are."_

_"Oh, well, I guess that would help, wouldn't it? You suppose anyone can see me from across the way?"_

_"No, and they won't be looking in the tree for you anyway. You sure you can-"_

_"Honestly, Pippin. Stop asking me if I'm sure, will you? I'm sure."_

_Pippin and Lara watched from the bushes beneath the tree as Merry took aim at the bright, green door across the way with Pippin's sling-shot and then..._

_XXX_

_Frodo turned the page of his book and sipped his tea. Sam entered the room and sat a tray of biscuits on the table next to him. "These are from Bilbo," he said. "That must be a very interesting book to keep you indoors today," Sam remarked._

_"Why aren't you outside, Sam?"_

_"Well, I was out looking for the rest, but I can't seem to find them. Out wreaking havoc somewhere, I'm sure."_

_Frodo smiled and nodded in agreement, his eyes still glued to the book._

_"Well, I hate to leave you here without company, but I think I'm going to-"_

_Sam was interrupted by a loud rap on the front door. Frodo sighed. "I was hoping they wouldn't come try and get me again. I already told them I wanted to stay indoors today."_

_"Don't worry, Mr. Frodo. I'll get the door and tell them you're busy."_

_Frodo frowned as two more raps sounded and stood up. "Good idea, Sam. They just won't give up, will they?"_

_XXX_

_"Merry! Don't shoot, someones at the door," Lara hissed, crouching low in the bushes with Pippin._

_Merry laughed quietly as he rested, hidden, on his perch and the front door to Frodo's house swung open. "Pippin, Lara," he said, "it's Sam."_

_They snickered. "What's he doing?" Pippin asked._

_"He's stepped onto the porch and looking all around. Now he's looking all up and down the road again, scratching his head," he answered, barely able to keep his laughter under control. "Oh...now he's going back inside."_

_"Merry and Pippin, this is one of your best ideas yet," Lara congratulated them._

_They said nothing, but looked pleased with themselves. Merry took aim again as the door closed, pulled back the sling, and...fire! The stone launched back over and whacked Frodo's door. They waited, hardly daring to breathe, as poor Sam stepped outside again, squinting around._

_They did this two or three more times, and they slowly saw Sam getting visibly annoyed. "Frodo!" they heard him call. "There's still no one here!"_

_By then, the three pranksters were in hysterics. Lara was so caught up in the fun that she didn't even notice a big, fat bee crawling through her hair. Merry shot yet another rock, and this time Frodo stepped out, looking puzzled. Unfortunately, Lara chose that moment to notice the bee, which was now on her ear. She screamed at a huge decibel level, sprang up from the bush, ran out, waving her hands around her head._

_Now, to Frodo this must have looked somewhat bizarre. His door has been knocked on many times, with no one there, and when he finally goes outside to check it out, Lara pops out of a bush. "Lara!" he yelled, confused. "Are you okay?"_

_She looked at him fleetingly, then gave a yelp and dove into the bush she had just come out of. Now Frodo was really bewildered. Sam came outside. "Mr. Frodo, what's going on?"_

_"I don't know," he said distantly, starting to walk towards the bush that contained Lara, and unknowingly to him, Pippin. Sam followed and they reached the bush and peered down into it. "Lara, what's-"_

_He paused and saw her and Pippin sitting there, looking up at him and Sam with guilty expressions. Sam looked up and saw Merry. "Merry? What are you doing up there?" Sam asked._

_His and Frodo's eyes strayed to Merry's hands, which held Pippin's slingshot, and a large, smooth rock, and they put two and two together._

_"You!" Frodo said. "You three have been the ones knocking on my door. Using rocks-and a-and a slingshot," he sputtered._

_"It was Merry and Pippin's idea," Lara said innocently._

_"Oh, no you don't. Frodo, don't listen to her, she was just congratulating us on how awesome our idea was."_

_Frodo stood there, staring incredulously, and all the sudden, the three troublemakers burst out laughing at the look on Frodo and Sam's faces. "You should have seen you two!" Pippin said._

_"Yeah!" Merry said. "You looked pretty confused, Sam!"_

_"Why, I outta-" Sam started to say, but was halted by Merry, Pippin, and Lara falling down to the ground. They rolled around laughing for a while._

_Wiping tears from her eyes and slowly standing up, Lara said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Frodo. And Sam. We just wanted you two to come play with us. We bored."_

_"That," Frodo said, "is obvious."_

_"Come on, Frodo. Please come outside," she begged. "It's too nice to be reading indoors."_

_Frodo sighed. "But what are we going to do outside?"_

_"We can play Orcs and Elves," Pippin suggested._

_"We already played that five time last week," Sam said._

_Merry was observing the tree that he had hidden in. "Hey, I have an idea!"_

_"What's with your ideas lately, Merry?" Lara asked._

_He grinned. "Look," he said, pointing at the branch he had been hiding on. "There's a branch right above it. If we found some rope, that branch above is at just the right angle that we could swing off of it."_

_"Yes!" Lara whispered._

_"Where are we going to find rope?" Frodo asked._

_"Mr. Burrows!" Pippin exclaimed._

_"Pippin," Lara said, exasperated, "Mr. Burrows is a grouch. He won't lend us rope."_

_"He doesn't need to know about it."_

_"Pippin!"_

_"What? We'll put it back!"_

_Lara looked to Frodo. "Well, you three do always steal from Farmer Maggot," he said matter-of-factly._

_She smiled at him knowingly. "Don't try and justify it," she said. "Let's just go."_

_The five friends went down the road past Bag End and into the lower class part of Hobbiton. They darted from bush to bush together, looking at each of the holes. "What does his hole look like?" Frodo whispered to Lara, hidden behind a low bush at the edge of the dirt road._

_"It has the red door. Look," she said pointing at the dilapidated house across the street. It certainly was run-down; its windows looked like they were going to fall off and the front door had big pieces where the wood had been scraped off. The rope was in the front of his house, and next to that, there was an old, rusty shovel leaning on the front door that the youngsters eyed cautiously. They hoped that they wouldn't be caught; who knows what Mr. Burrows would do to them with that shovel._

_Pippin voiced what they were all thinking. "What's with the shovel?"_

_"Oh, Pippin. It's probably just for gardening or something," Lara said, as if she were trying to convince herself too._

_"Let's just not get caught," Merry said nervously._

_"Why is he so horrible anyways?" Frodo wondered aloud._

_"I always thought he's bitter because he isn't married," Lara said._

_The hobbits started to laugh at that, but quieted down quickly, as they remembered the shovel propped against his front door._

_"Ok," Pippin said, putting on a brave face and starting to stand up, "I'm going in."_

_"Wait!" Frodo said, holding him back. "Let's see if he's home first. Use the slingshot again to knock on his door."_

_"Right!"_

_"Oh, boy. Pippin with a slingshot equals trouble. Give it here, Pip, I'll launch it," Merry said._

_"It's not that far!"_

_"Pippin, don't argue, just give it to him!" Sam said irritably._

_Pippin glowered at him, then reluctantly handed over the slingshot to Merry. Merry took it in his hands, loaded it with a rock, and once again took careful aim, and...thwack!_

_The hobbits hurriedly ducked low into the bushes, holding their breath. The door swung open to reveal Mr. Burrows, a stout, fat hobbit that always looked as if he wanted to hurt somebody. Brow furrowed, he looked suspiciously up and down the road. He growled a complaint to himself, then turned on his heel and stormed back inside, slamming the door._

_"He's home all right," Sam said after a few seconds of silence._

_"Ok, Pippin," Merry said._

_Pippin nodded, looking terrified, but he obviously wanted to prove to himself to his friends since they hadn't let him operate the slingshot. He stood up, and, keeping low, he shot across the road as fast as he could. He scaled the low fence easily, and threw himself down on the ground. He crawled along on his belly until he reached the front door, and quickly but quietly, snatched the rope. _

_He repeated the process of getting back to the bush, and dove in. Panting, he said, "Here's the rope."_

_"Well done Pippin!" Merry said approvingly. "Now let's go make that swing."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, after eating breakfast, there was a knock on Lara's front door. Her mother answered it, then called, "Lara! It's Merry and Pippin!"

She hurried into the front room. "What are you two doing here?"

"Want to-um-come have tea?" Pippin said, glancing furtively at Lara's mother, who was still in the room.

"Tea?" Lara said, confused. Since when did they start having tea parties?

"Yes. Tea," Pippin said.

"Um...sure." She told her mother where she was going, and they started along the road to Pippin's house.

"Okay," Lara said, as soon as they were far away from her house. "I know you two don't want to have tea. Where are we really going?"

"Farmer Maggot's."

She stopped walking. "Are you kidding me?"

"Oh, come on," Pippin said. "For old times sake?"

"Guys. We are way too old for this stuff."

"Please!" They said, giving her big eyes and turning their lips down.

She sighed. "Ok. But this is the last time I am EVER doing this, you hear?"

Merry and Pippin just grinned at each other, as if saying, yeah right, and the trio set off toward Farmer Maggot's. They soon reached the oh-to-familiar fence that surrounded Maggot's property. They crouched down and scanned the area. Lara looked at Merry and Pippin on either side of her. "Ok. Let's go. But let's stick together."

"Deal."

The three scurried under the fence and crept to the edge of the field and began to do their business like the experts they were. Picking their way through the field, the trio nagged some carrots and cabbage. They started to pick up speed, first trotting, then hurrying, then flat out running, so they could get to those prized mushrooms. They dashed through the tall lines of crops, when suddenly they came to one of the paths for walking through the field. Lara immediately saw outlines of two people and panicked, skidding to a stop. Unfortunately, Merry's momentum was already going too fast to stop, and with a loud snapping of crops, landed right on top of one of the figures. Pippin was close behind, and landed on the next person.

"Frodo!" Lara heard Pippin exclaim, and her heart started to thud faster. She hurried out onto the path. "Merry, it's Frodo Baggins!" Pippin announced to Merry, who was helping Sam up.

"Hello Frodo!" Merry said happily.

Sam hurried over to Pippin and hauled him off of Frodo. "Get off of him!" he said, helping Frodo up.

"You two had better be glad that the people you ran into weren't Farmer Maggot and his wife!" Lara said crossly.

"What's the meaning of this?" Frodo yelped, looking at the carrots and cabbage that was on the ground and still in Lara's arms. Merry was speedily stuffing his crops into poor Sam's arms.

"You've been into Farmer Maggot's crop!" Sam exclaimed loudly. Suddenly, dogs began barking and a man yelling to them in the distance.

Merry grabbed Lara, who had to drop her stash, and Pippin grabbed Frodo, and together they flung through the field. Sam stood for a second, watching, then dumped the crops and took off after the rest.

Single file, the hobbits ran as quickly along as they could, with the shouts of "Get out of my field!," and, "You'll know the devil if I catch up with you!" getting farther and farther away.

"I don't know why he's so upset!" Merry exclaimed as they were running. "It's only a couple of carrots!"

"And some cabbages," added Pippin. "And those three bags of potatoes that we lifted last week. And, the mushrooms, the week before!"

"You guys came and didn't tell me?" Lara exclaimed indigently.

They ignored her, and Merry said, "Yes, Pippin. My point is, he's clearly overreacting. Run!"

They came to the edge, and ran out looking behind them, not seeing the edge of the cliff until the last second. Pippin, who was in front, stopped, and Merry, Lara, and Frodo ran into him. They would have been fine, but Sam came barreling into Frodo, and like dominoes, they toppled off the hill. They tumbled and rolled for a while, eventually falling hard into a huge heap by the road.

"Oh, that was close," Pippin said, referring to the poop that he had almost landed in.

"I think I've broken something," Merry said, and pulled a carrot chopped in half out from under him.

"Trust a Brandybuck and a Took," Sam said, clearly annoyed as he helped himself off the ground and began dusting off.

"What?" Merry said innocently. "That was just a detour. A shortcut."

"Shortcut to what?"

"Mushrooms!" Pippin, who was still on the ground, exclaimed, looking over at a little patch of mushrooms growing on the side of the road.

Lara, Merry, and Sam scampered over to the mushrooms, each of them pushing Pippin down on their way up. Frodo, however, did not join the fun, but was staring curiously down the road. After a few seconds, he said quietly, "I think we should get off the road."

They paid no attention, except for Lara who looked up at him, then stood up. "Why?"

Frodo did not answer, but just stood there rigidly and continued to gaze off down the road. Lara could not see his face when he shouted, "Get off the road! Quick!" but she could tell he was terrified by his voice, and that scared her more than anything.

Immediately the hobbits grabbed their bags and food and got off the road into a grove under a tree stump, Lara on one end, then Frodo, Pippin, Sam, and finally Merry on the other end. Everyone except Frodo huddled together and began to fight quietly over the mushrooms again.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps of a horse approaching, then the horse breathing, so they quieted down and leaned back into the grove. They heard the horse stop and Lara gave a little gasp of fear. Frodo hurriedly covered her mouth, and they heard whoever was on the horse dismount and land on the ground loudly. Frodo let go of Lara's mouth and put his finger to his lips, warning her to be quiet. She nodded, trying hard not to cry. Frodo turned and looked up through a hole in a root, seeing black hooves lined with blood. The rider got down on the ground right above where they were, and looking up, they could see a metallic hand, and they instantly knew they couldn't have come from anywhere near here. He started sniffing loudly.

All the sudden, Frodo became overcome with a powerful desire to put on the Ring. As if in a trance, he closed his eyes and slowly started to put his hand in his pocket. He pulled out the Ring, and started to slip it on. Right before it was on his finger, Sam noticed and grabbed his arm, which brought Frodo back to Earth, and he recoiled and clasped the Ring tightly in his fist, suddenly aware of what was going on again. Merry chucked his bag of precious food the opposite direction, and the rider squealed and hurried off that way. They got up and ran faster than they ever had, finally stopping when Merry and Pippin slid down onto the ground from a hill.

"What was that?" Merry asked. Frodo said nothing, but just opened his palm and looked at the gold Ring that was still there.

* * *

By night time, the exhausted hobbits were still running, having to hide from whatever was chasing them. Lara had the idea that Frodo knew what it was, or why they were being pursued, and wasn't telling the rest. And that thought made her very angry at him.

The hobbits were creeping around the trees in the dark, misty night, hoping that the rider wouldn't be around the next one. "Anything?" Pippin called to Frodo, who was peering around a tree.

"Nothing," Frodo replied.

"What is going on?" Pippin said, tipping his head back in frustration.

"That Black Rider was looking for something. Or someone. Frodo?" Merry said, walking up to Frodo and looking at him.

"Yes, Frodo, you know what's going on, don't you?" Lara said.

Frodo just looked at them until Pippin said, "Get down!" They all ducked into the shrubs and looked out onto a hill in the distance where they saw a Black Rider, illuminated by the moon and mist. After sitting for a few seconds, it turned and went the opposite direction of them.

"I have to leave the Shire," Frodo said in an undertone. "Sam and I must get to Bree."

"Right," Merry said, thinking., then his eyes lit up. "Buckleberry Ferry! Follow me!" Merry lead the way out of the bushes at a run, the rest following close behind. A Black Rider came bursting out between two trees by Frodo and Sam, the other three already ahead.

"Frodo!" Lara yelled, turning.

"No!" Merry said, grabbing her and holding her back.

"Frodo, run!" Pippin yelled.

"This way! Follow me!" Merry hollered.

Frodo was desperately trying to get around the horse, but the Rider kept cutting him off. He finally managed to get past him, and ran to catch up with the others, who were sprinting as fast as their short legs could carry them. They leaped over a fence to the Brandywine River ahead, where there was a raft tied up at the dock.

"Get the rope, Sam!" Merry said.

"No! What are you thinking, we have to wait for Frodo!" Lara screamed at him.

"I know, he's coming, he's coming!"

"Frodo!" Sam yelled as he was untying the rope. Frodo came into sight, with the horse right on his heels.

"Run Frodo!" Pippin called.

"GO!" Frodo said, and they pushed the raft off from the dock.

"Hurry!"

"Frodo, come on!"

"Come on!"

"Jump!"

Frodo took a flying leap onto the raft and tumbled into Sam, who was trying to catch him, and knocking him over. "How far to the nearest crossing?" Frodo said, still laying down and out of breath.

"Brandywine Bridge. Twenty miles," Merry replied.

The horse stopped on its heels, then turned and went back to the land, going the direction of Bree, but also joining two other Riders.

"Are you ok?" Lara said to Frodo, leaning over and looking concerned. All she could really see of his face in the dark were his huge blue eyes.

"I'm fine," he said as Lara helped him up and started brushing him off. She must have still looked worried, because he patted her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Really," he said. "Don't worry."

She nodded, not looking at him, hoping he couldn't hear her heart beating frantically.

**Please Review**


	5. Bonds and Ties

**a/n- It's been forever since an update, and I'm so sorry. I had problems with my computer, and I lost all my work. I've also been busy, and on top of all that, I've had writer's block. Nehoo, please keep reading and I will keep updating! Also, if I could get a few more reviews from some different ppl so I get more feedback on the story that would be awesome. Thanks.**

**MotRD- **ha!! that's funny about the whole Mr. Baggins opening the door thing. i agree. lol, you probably don't even remember your last review it's been so long, but in your last one you said something about OOT...what does that mean?? I know that's probably a dumb question...lol...anyway, thank you so much for reviewing and sorry for the wait :)

**Chapter 5: Bonds and Ties**

_On a day in early October, Frodo, Pippin, Merry, and Sam were marching to Lara's house determinedly. They had been trying to get her to come outside and play games with them for a few days now, and each time she answered the door she looked hurried and distracted, always giving some excuse as to why she couldn't come._

_Although Pippin hated to admit it, things were much more fun with Lara around, so the four friends made up their minds once and for all to pick up their missing crew member. When they arrived and knocked, Lara did not answer the door this time, but her mother. They were all taken aback and did not speak for several seconds until Merry, who considered himself a lady charmer, spoke up. "Hello Mrs.," he began. "Do you think we could all-erm-" he glanced around at the rest of them- "escort your daughter to-erm-tea?"_

_Lara's mother started to laugh. "Meriadoc, you silly lad. I may be old, but I know that none of you youngsters would ever drink tea of your own free will." Still chortling, she led them inside and told them to sit on the couches. "I'll just go get Lara, she's in the back room."_

_Once she disappeared from the room, Pippin snorted with laughter. "Nice one, Merry. Escort Lara to tea?"_

_Merry looked sour. "I thought it might work. She is a girl after all."_

_"You wouldn't be talking about me by any chance, would you Merry?" The four boys looked up to see Lara. Although her eyes were sparkling at them, her face looked like she was experiencing something unpleasant, which probably had to do with the white dress she had on. Her hair was down and curly, and she wore a wreath of flowers in it that looked like it was hand-made._

_Of course, they were all shocked. Pippin was the first to speak up. "What's gotten into you?" he said bluntly._

_Lara sighed. "My aunt is getting married. I'm in the wedding. My mother is making me try all this on for about the fourth time. I'm sorry I haven't been able to come play with you. That's why I've been so busy."_

_"When is the wedding?" Frodo asked curiously._

_"Tomorrow."_

_"Where?"_

_"In the park-you know, the one with the fence around it, where most hobbits have parties and such."_

_They nodded in understanding, all except Pippin, who seemed lost in thought. "Is this going to be a big wedding? With lots of food?"_

_Lara rolled her eyes. "Yes, Pippin. Lots and lots of food. But you can't come. People will check your invitations on the way in."_

_"There's a way around that I'm sure," Pippin said, brushing his hand as if waving off that problem._

_"I will get in so much trouble if you all show up. I'll-bring you some food, alright?"_

_"Oh, but we don't trust you to do that, do we Merry?"_

_Merry shook his head. "No-we'll just have to come get it for ours-" he stopped abruptly at the sight of Lara's mother. He hastily stood up. "Well Lara it was good seeing you. Have fun with the wedding preparations. I'm sure you will be busy tomorrow, but you never know-we might come by and-wish you luck." He winked at her, then led the way to the front door. After three more goodbyes to Lara and her mother, they were gone._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_It was the next night and the wedding was now in full celebration. Lara had actually been quite excited before the ceremony. She had never been in a wedding before and you never know-it could be interesting. But once she got up there-in front of all those people (Lara had a big family)-she learned that weddings were not at all fun. The ceremony was long and tedious, and to make matters worse, she was told to stand completely still. By the end, Lara had decided that she was never going to get married._

_Now there were large lights strung up everywhere, dangling off the tree branches that hung over the fence into the park. Every once in a while a firework would go off, or a large burst of confetti would fall upon the little dance floor. Lara had only just escaped from the dance floor; everyone kept trying to make her dance with lads her age. There was one in particular that wouldn't leave her alone; she had only gotten away by saying she had to get something to eat first-she couldn't dance on an empty stomach._

_She had lied. Instead of going to the long tables laden with food and draped with white cloths, she made her way to the very back of the park, by the fence where no one was. The sight of all the food on the tables made her think of Pippin-how she wished they would come! She couldn't stand trying to escape anymore from her cousins, Flora and Priscilla. They were two dreadful, giggly girls, each about the same age as Lara was. Lara was instructed to be nice to them, but after a while they got so unbearable that she could hardly think straight._

_She leaned back against the fence, behind a tent that more than likely had held fireworks, and sighed. She couldn't believe Merry and Pippin could leave an offer of food and not come to the wedding. She had barely thought this, when, to her great shock, she heard a loud "Pssst!"_

_She jumped about a foot into the air, and the voice said in a whisper, "Lara! It's alright, it's just us!"_

_"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Thank goodness!" She peered through a hole in the fence. "I'm so glad you two-er-three are here," she said, surprised to see a third shadow. Who is that with you?"_

_"It's me," she heard Frodo's voice murmur._

_Lara grinned. "I can' t believe you came!"_

_"Me neither, actually. I should have stayed like Sam. He didn't want to get you in trouble. And neither do I."_

_"Don't worry about it. Now how are you going to get in?"_

_"Aha!" she heard Merry exlaim. "So much for 'you can't come.'"_

_"Oh, shut up," Lara said, smiling. "Do you think you can jump the fence?"_

_"If we had something to boost us up, maybe."_

_"I'll be right back." She hurried off to one of the tents. She had the perfect thing in mind. A little crate that they had kept the fireworks in. She checked a few tents before she finally found one, then struggled to carry it over to the fence line again; the crate was almost as big as she was._

_"Here," she panted as she came back to the spot where the three infiltrators were. "I got you a crate. I'm going to throw it over. Are you ready?"_

_She heard a dull murmur, which she assumed meant yes, checked around the tent one more time to make sure no one was watching, mustered all her strength, and threw the crate over the fence. She heard a little crash and grimaced; she checked her surroundings once more, but no one seemed to have noticed._

_"Are you three alright?" she hissed through the fence._

_"We're fine," she heard Frodo reply. "Pippin's coming first."_

_"Is it clear?" Pippin whispered._

_Lara checked one more time. "Clear!"_

_Pippin came out of the air and landed clumsily on the ground next to her. "Now I'm coming," said Merry. "Clear?"_

_"Clear!"_

_Merry flew like Pippin, but landed slightly more gracefully on the other side. "Come on, Frodo, you're clear," Lara said._

_And for the third and final time, a figure leapt over the fence and landed on the other side. He got up and brushed himself off. "So where do your parents think you are?" Lara asked._

_"We told them we were going to your house for tea," Pippin answered._

_"Not exactly a lie, is it?" Frodo said, looking worried._

_Merry thumped Frodo on the back. "Frodo, my friend, you have to break some rules once in a while. Don't you agree, Lara? Lara?"_

_But Lara had gone rigid and was listening intently. "Lara!" Merry exclaimed._

_"Shh!" she shushed him, then listened once more. Then the other three heard her name being called, sounding like it was from a great distance. "That's my cousins!" Lara hissed. "We have to hide!" She grabbed Frodo's hand and pulled him along with her as she took off running._

_"Don't worry, me and Merry'll catch up!" Pippin called after her, then started grumbling to himself as he and Merry took off after her and Frodo. They caught up and all four dove under the nearest white-blanketed table. Concealed from view, they sat there, catching their breath._

_"Well, Merry and I are glad you care about our well-being as much as Frodo's!" Pippin said crossly._

_Lara rolled her eyes at him, then moved the tablecloth slightly to look out. "Oh no," she said, half to herself._

_"What is it?"_

_She turned around as if just realizing that they were there. "Oh-it's just-that lad that wants to dance with me-I think he's looking for me. We can't go out."_

_"Who wants to dance with you?" Frodo asked, now looking out the tablecloth too._

_"I don't know who he is, but I told him I was coming to eat something first. Well, I lied so I couldn't dance with him. I wish he could find Flora and Priscilla and ask them-they like that sort of thing more than I do."_

_"What if I asked you to dance?" Merry said teasingly. "Would you run away from me too?"_

_Lara pursed her lips and rolled her eyes in clear annoyance._

_"Or how about Frodo? As you seem to care about his-how did Pippin put it-well-being-more than ours, perhaps you would dance with him?"_

_"Aw, shut up, Merry," Frodo muttered._

_"Come now, dear cousin. Why don't you and Lara just have a dance?"_

_"Meriadoc Brandybuck!" Lara screeched. "Be quiet! You just don't know when to quit!"_

_"Merry, she's using your full name. That's when you know you're in trouble," Pippin said between fits of laughter._

_She gave them a filthy look, then continued to watch the Hobbit adults outside getting food. When she came back in, the three boys were staring at her. "What?" she said._

_Merry opened his mouth to say something, looking amused, but before the words could leave his mouth the tablecloth flipped open. Lara gasped, and the boys turned like lightning._

_"Lara!" Flora said loudly._

_"What are you doing under here with three boys?" Priscilla said, just as loudly._

_"Flora, Priscilla, hush!"_

_"Don't you tell us to hush, La-" but Lara grabbed their arms and pulled them under._

_"I'll tell you to hush if I feel like it," Lara said fiercely. "Now these are my friends. You can't tell anyone they are here, or them and I will get in a lot of trouble, do you understand?"_

_They appeared not to be listening, but were examining the three hobbit boys instead. "Please introduce us," Priscilla said, flipping her hair and giggling._

_"Yes," Flora said, batting her eyes at Frodo. Lara groaned inwardly. She should have known this would happen. Now they were going to giggle and fawn over Frodo all night._

_"Merry, Pippin, Frodo," Lara said tonelessly, pointing to each of them. "Now, goodbye."_

_"Now, hold on, Lara," Priscilla said rather nastily. "We won't tell they are here if you let us stay with you."_

_Lara closed her eyes for patience. "Fine," she said, "But if either of you get us caught, I will-" But she did not finish her sentence. The tablecloth flipped open on the six hobbits, and to Lara's great dismay, it was her mother peering at them. She gave a nervous laugh into the long silence. "Hi Mother."_

* * *

Dripping wet, the five hobbits stood shivering on the side of the road. Directly across was the gate to get inside of Bree-where Frodo and Sam were apparently meeting Gandalf. Lara was desperate for information on everything-she did not like to be kept in the dark. She knew she had no chance of getting anything from Sam; but she would talk to Frodo later.

She saw his hood bob as he looked right and left down the dark road. He seemed to decide it was safe, because he said, "Come on," and started across.

They hurried like little mice across the road, Lara feeling like the water in her cloak were weighing her down and keeping her from moving fast enough. When Frodo knocked lightly on the door multiple times and stepped back, the little door at the top opened, showing the head of a grumpy-looking man with grey, bushy eyebrows and a big nose. He glanced down and saw the hobbits, shut the little door and opened another at their level.

"What do you want?" he said rudely, staring at Frodo.

"We're heading for the Prancing Pony," Frodo replied.

The man once again shut the little door, and for a fleeting instant Lara thought he was shutting them out for good. But the main door opened this time, and a lantern shone in their faces. They blinked and stepped back in the sudden light. "Hobbits!" the man exclaimed. "Four Hobbits! What's more out of the Shire by your talk, what brings you to Bree?"

Lara felt Merry look around as the man was babbling and knew he was worrying about the Riders showing up. "We wish to stay at the inn," she heard Frodo say defensively. "Our business is our own."

"All right, youngster, I meant no offense. It's my job to ask questions after nightfall," he said, stepping back to let them pass through the gate. "There's been talk of strange folk abroad. Can't be too careful."

They walked on into Bree, their bare feet squishing the muddy road as they moved. There were larges homes, made for men along the road, with the occasional pasture that had a few horses and cows that watched them pass. They stumbled along the bumpy road, staggering between huge Men that gave them strange looks and said, "Out of my way!" as they hurried along the road.

Finally, Frodo saw it. He half-turned to the others, but saw they were already looking at the sign that said 'Prancing Pony' on it. They rushed inside, feeling much better as they knew that they would soon see Gandalf and he could tell them what to do. Feeling even smaller inside than they had outside, they huddled near the bar, waiting for Frodo to do something. He stepped forward. "Excuse me," he said, to no one in general.

A second later, a stout man appeared over the bar. His red hair was slightly messed, and he had a large red mustache. "Good evening, little masters!" he said pleasantly. "What can I do for you?" Before Frodo could reply, he continued. "If you're looking for accomodation, we got some nice, cozy, Hobbit-sized rooms available. Always proud to cater to the little folk, Mr.-erm-"

"Underhill," Frodo said, apparently thinking quickly. "My name's Underhill."

"Underhill," the barman repeated, obviously trying to remember if he knew him.

"We're friends of Gandalf the Gray, can you tell him we've arrived?"

"Gandalf...Gandalf...Oh! Yes, I remember! Elderly chap, big grey beard, pointy hat! Not seen him for six months." he said.

Lara could feel Frodo's confusion, and when he turned around, she saw it. The five huddled together. "What do we do now?" Sam asked.

They decided to wait a while; they figured that would probably be best, and safest, as the Black Riders were still out there. They sat at a table entirely too large for them after ordering drinks. "Sam," Frodo said quietly. "He'll be here. He'll come." He sounded as if he were trying to convince himsel f rather than Sam.

Lara took a large sip of her drink then set her cup down. "Frodo? Can I have a word? Um-alone?"

He looked up at her, then nodded and followed her over to a more secluded area of the inn. She turned on him the instant they got there. "Look, I can understand why you don't want to tell Merry and Pippin what's going on, seeing as they're idiots, but I think I've got a right to know!" I mean, I've known you since we were little and I would think that you could trust me and-" she realized she was babbling. "Well...say something!" she said, as Frodo was just sitting there quietly.

He spoke up, though it took him a few moments. "I don't think it is my place to tell you. I'm sorry."

Lara had never had a problem earning Frodo's trust before, and she was angry at herself for wanting to cry. "But-you told Sam! I don't underst-"

"Sam only found out by lucky chance. Though it is not a lucky thing to know, I suppose."

"You do not trust me," she said, hurt.

"That is not true," Frodo said quietly. "I am not allowed to say anything about it. Please. You will find out eventually, I'm sure, if you're along with us. Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

"About what?"

"You coming with us. You shouldn't be coming."

"And why not?" she screeched.

"It is not safe."

"And it is so much safer to go through the woods alone with those Riders out there isn't it?" she said sarcastically.

Frodo hesitated a moment. "Perhaps Merry and Pippin can go back with you."

Her eyes sparkled with tears. "You want to get rid of us."

"No! That's not what I-"

"It's alright. Really. Let's just-go finish our drinks." Before he could say another word, she had gone back to the table where Sam and Pippin were sitting, and sat next to Pippin. Frodo followed her and sat down next to Sam on the other side. Pippin patted her hand under the table; he obviously could tell she wasn't very happy.

"Where's-" but before she could ask where he was, Lara saw Merry appear with a large tankard in his hand and squeezed over to make room for him on the bench.

"What's that?" Pippin exclaimed.

"This, my friend, is a pint," Merry said happily, still looking fondly at the dripping tankard.

"It comes in pints?" Pippin asked excitedly, looking up at the bar.

"Mmm," Merry murmured through his drink, as he was taking a sip.

Pippin looked determined. "I'm getting one," he announced. He marched away from the table, with Sam calling after him, "You've had a whole half already!"

Lara saw Sam whisper something to Frodo and point at the corner, and Lara looked over to see a man facing them, evidently staring at Frodo. His face was hidden by his hood, and he had a lit cigar where his mouth would be. Frodo stopped the barman walking by and asked who 'that man in the coner' was.

"That's one of them Rangers. Dangerous folk, they are. Don't know his right name, but around here, he's known as Strider."

"Strider," Frodo repeated. Lara began talking to Merry and did not notice when Frodo closed his eyes, looking troubled, or as if he was going into a trance. He opened his eyes abruptly though, and Lara looked around, when she heard the name 'Baggins.'

"Baggins? Sure I know a Baggins! He's over there. Frodo Baggins," he said to a man at the bar and pointing at Frodo. He gave a little wave and went into a lengthy explanation as to how Frodo was related to him. Lara turned to see Frodo's reaction, but he was not there, so she whipped around to see him tugging on Pippin's arm at the bar. "Steady on, Frodo!" Pippin said, trying not to spill his drink.

All Lara, Sam, and Merry could see was a small glint of gold fly into the air, land on Frodo's extended hand as he fell to the ground, and then he was gone. The crowd around them gasped in surprise, and Lara, panicking, looked to Sam, who looked equally worried. The four friends searched desperately for Frodo, until, a few moments later, Sam got a glimpse of the strange man called Strider carrying a little figure up the stairs.


	6. Setting Off

**a/n- hey, sorry it's been awhile again, but I haven't been home to update...and i'm going to be gone this week too...so now I'm giving you TWO chapters LOL...so i should get some reviews in return! thanks! oh, and i realize Halloween is probably not a hobbit holiday...but i don't care!**

**MotRD- **haha! im sorry its been so long, but no need to set the balrogs on me this time! lol...i'm still going, i promise.

**Chapter 6:Setting Off**

_One week after the wedding incident, Lara was still not allowed to see her friends. Her mother had been furious-Merry, Pippin, and Frodo told her at first that Lara had no part in it. They had snuck in and she was trying to get them to leave. Lara, however, told her mother the truth, earning a slightly shorter punishment._

_Her punishment was, of course, was that she was not allowed to see her the four boys for two weeks. She was to stay at home and cook, sew-things like that. She missed her friends so much she felt her stomach was aching. They were all together, having fun without her, probably hearing more of Bilbo's stories._

_This all changed one night, however. The next day was when Lara's punishment was finally over, and she couldn't sleep she was so excited at the prospect of seeing her friends again. She could hear her mother and father's footsteps going down the hall to her room and she lay very still to give them the pretense she was asleep. They must have thought she was, because she heard the footsteps leave and continue on to their room._

_She was finally starting to fall asleep after a long time when she heard a sharp Rap! on her window. She froze instantly, fear coursing through her. She willed herself to get up and look out the window, but she couldn't move-it was as if she was glued to her bed. After a few moments, she decided it was just an animal or something, until it happened again-Rap!_

_This time, she sat up, listening hard. When a third Rap! sounded, she got on her hands and knees and crawled along the floor to her window. She slowly moved up until her head was level with the windowsill and moved the curtains ever so slightly to the side, heart pounding. She saw four small silouettes outside and breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry._

_She flung open the window. "What are you doing?" she hissed._

_They looked at each other. "About time," Merry said. "We had to knock three times to get you to look out."_

_"It could have woken my parents! I would have been punished longer!"_

_"Well don't be too glad to see us, then," Pippin said. "We thought you might be, seeing as how it's been two weeks. Tomorrow's your last day, right?"_

_"Yes. You don't know how glad I am to see you all! It's been awful here!"_

_Even Pippin looked sympathetic. "We've missed you too," Frodo said, noddng._

_"Listen," Merry said, "We're going to come by in the morning-very early, right as the sun rises-and sneak you out. We've got a plan."_

_Lara rolled her eyes. "What kind of plan?"_

_"It's a good plan," Frodo said reassuringly. "Hopefully it will work."_

_"Yes," Sam said, "You know what next week is right?"_

_Lara thought a minute. "Halloween!" she said excitedly. Then she got somber. "What are you all planning to do to some poor child?"_

_"Nothing! We promise!" Pippin said. "Just be ready in the morning. Do you think you can climb out your window?"_

_Lara nodded, then realized they could barely see her and said, "Yes."_

_"Of course you can. How silly of me. Well, we'll see you tomorrow."_

_"Alright, but if I get caught..." she started warningly._

_"We won't get you caught," Sam said. "Promise."_

_"I can't believe you're in on this Sam."_

_"You will when you find out our idea."_

_She sighed. "See you all later, then."_

_They whispered goodbye and turned to leave, Frodo turning back to wave. She waved and ducked back into her room after closing the window. She jumped into bed, sure she wouldn't fall asleep soon. Her friends had not forgotten her! It took her awhile, but finally Lara drifted off to sleep._

_XXXXXXXX_

_Sure enough, the next morning, the same Rap! sounded on her window, waking her up. Early morning rays were streaming into her room, and she guessed her parents wouldn't wake up for another hour or two. She opened the window to see the four hobbits once again. "Morning!" Sam said brightly._

_Pippin looked grumpy; possibly lack of food, or lack of sleep-or both. Merry looked very tired, and Frodo as well was yawning. Sam was the only one that looked fully awake. "Let me get dressed," Lara said. She shut the window and curtains, and hurriedly dressed into the first play dress she saw. She opened the window once more._

_"Let's go!" Merry said. "Can you make it out?"_

_"I think so." Lara vaulted up to the sill, swung her legs over, and dropped down. "Piece of cake," she said._

_"Don't talk about food," Pippin moaned. "Let's just go."_

_They hurried off, Lara trailing behind. "Where are we going?"_

_"Merry's house," Sam said._

_"Merry is going to Brandy Hall for a week-and for Halloween. We're going to talk to his mother and see if we can all go." Frodo added on._

_Lara's heart leapt. "Oh! That would be wonderful!" Then she remembered she just got done being in trouble. "My parents will never let me go, though."_

_"Yes they will," Frodo said._

_"Yeah, you have to come," Pippin whined._

_"I hope so," Lara said, lost in thought. When they reached Merry's hole, his mother was already outside watering the garden._

_"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Look at all of you! I thought you were going to Mr. Baggins' for an early morning tea?"_

_So that's what Merry told her they were doing, Lara thought._

_"We thought it might be too early," Merry said convincingly._

_"Well come in, come in!" his mother said, ushering them up the steps and into the living room. They all sat down on the couches in Merry's comfortable little home. "Would you like some biscuits, perhaps?"_

_Pippin nodded eagerly. She laughed. "Peregrin, I know you do. Alright, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." She turned and left the room, and the five hobbits immediately put their heads together._

_"She seems to be in a good mood," Pippin whispered._

_"So how are we going to do this?" Sam said._

_They thought for a minute. "Why don't we all just go ask her?" Lara asked._

_Pippin stood up. "No," he said. "She knows me best. I think that I should handle this," he said importantly, and marched into the kitchen._

_"If that idiot messes this up for us, I'm going to hurt him," Lara said._

_"I'll help," Merry piped up._

_Sam laughed. "Halloween should be interesting with everyone, shouldn't it? Considering Brandy Hall is the place for pranks?"_

_"Assuming we get to go," Frodo said, and they quieted down and waited for Pippin to decide their fate. It was a long time before Pippin came back out, or at least it seemed that way to the others, but his face when he came out did not bear good news._

_"Oh no," Lara said, seeing him. "Way to go, Pippin. You ruined it."_

_Pippin hung his head. Slowly, he looked up and grinned. "Did I?"_

_Lara gasped. "We can go?"_

_Pippin nodded. They all punched the air, but kept their excitement to a low level, considering Merry's mother was in the next room. "When are we leaving?" Lara asked._

_"Tonight. Be here at 7:30 if you are to come. We are leaving shortly afterwards," Pippin recited._

_"Yes!" they all said._

_"Let's just go talk to our parents," Sam said. "I don't think I'll have a problem going."_

_"Me neither," Frodo said. "Bilbo won't mind me visiting Brandy Hall."_

_"And Merry and I know we can go," Pippin said. "I already asked my mother." They all looked at Lara. "You'd better get home and ask, Lara," he continued._

_The rest agreed. "Alright," Lara said. "I guess I'll see you at 7:30...right?"_

_"Right!" they all chorused. "Bye!" With that, Lara hurried down the road to her house._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Lara's parents had been reluctant to let her go. She had just gotten out of trouble, they said, and now she wanted to go make more. She promised she would not get in any trouble while she was there. She begged, telling them that it would be so fun, Merry's mother would watch us, I haven't seen my friends for two weeks, and on and on. She pleaded so hard that eventually her parents gave in, and Lara skipped, a thing she rarely does, down the hall in excitement to pack her things._

_By the time it was almost 7:30, Lara was packed and ready to go. Her mother had insisted she pack a formal dress for dinners, though she secretly knew she would never wear it. She said goodbye to her parents, who warned her to please be good, and was able to contain her excitement until she was well away from her house. She flew down the road, lugging her huge bag and hoping they hadn't already left without her._

_They hadn't-everyone was there, and the carriage almost ready. It looked as though Merry's mother was making some last minute packing adjustments. "Lara!" Pippin exclaimed, upon seeing her. "You can come!"_

_Everyone's faces brightened at seeing her there, and they all started chatting excitedly about Brandy Hall. Sam politely took Lara's bag at put it in the carriage for her, and not much longer, they were in the carriage and ready to go._

_The way to Brandy Hall was quite long, and the five friends were already tired from being up so early that morning. Before they knew it, they had all fallen asleep watching the pastures roll by. Merry woke up moments before they got there, and started to shake the rest awake. "Look!" he said. "Brandy Hall!"_

_Lara and Sam, who had never seen Brandy Hall before, gazed with their mouths open. Bright lights glittered everywhere, and the lawn was large, smooth and well-kept. No one was outside except for a few adults, and Lara assumed the children weren't allowed out after dark. She grinned. This was going to be amazing._

_When the carriage stopped, they eagerly piled out, each wanting to be before the other. There was a great tustle to get bags between Merry, Pippin, and Sam. Frodo stood quietly waiting for them to be done, gazing at the Hall. Lara came and stood next to him. "It's very nice here," she said._

_He looked around and saw her, then looked back to Brandy Hall. "Yes," he said quietly. "I remember it very well."_

_How could she forget! Lara realized that this was where he had lived before his parents died-he must be feeling gloomy. She only saw half his face illuminated by the glittering lights, but sure enough, he looked very sad. "Come on," Lara said kindly, pulling him back to the carriage with her. "Let's get our bags. We want to get a good room before Merry and Pippin take them."_

XXXXXX

"Come on!" Lara said, hurriedly grabbing a stool and raced to the stairs. Pippin grabbed a stool as well, Merry a candlestick, and Sam simply ran ahead of Lara. They heard voices coming from one of the rooms and burst in, hearing a sword draw upon their arrival.

"Back off!" Sam shouted, brandishing his fists while the rest showed Strider their weapons. "Or I'll have you, Longshanks!"

Strider looked slightly amused, and put his sword back in the sheath. "You have a stout heart little hobbit," he said to Sam. "But that will not save you." He turned to Frodo. "You can no longer wait for the wizard, Frodo. They are coming."

Strider hurried them across the street from the inn into another one; Sam, Merry and Pippin fell asleep pretty quickly on their beds, but Frodo and Lara lay awake, watching Strider look out the window.

Upon a loud crunching noise, the hobbits all jumped awake and sat up, staring first at the inn across the street, and then at Strider. The Black Riders seemed to have thought the pillows they laid out on the beds were them-and were now realizing they weren't, as they heard them squealing from across the street.

"What are they?" Lara heard Frodo's scared voice, but could not see his face.

Strider looked at him for a minute. "They were once Men," he said, rather regretfully. "Great kings of Men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them Nine Rings of Power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question, one by one falling into darkness." He resumed peering out the window. "Now they are slaves to his will. They are the Nazgul," he said, looking back at Frodo once more. "The Ringwraiths. Neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring, drawn to the power of the One. They will never stop hunting you."

Lara's head was spinning. Rings of Power? This must be what Frodo had...the one that made him disappear, that he kept in his front jacket pocket. Would Frodo end up like these Ringwraiths? She stole a glance at him and saw him staring intently out the window as well.

Strider turned back to them. "Get some sleep," he said. "We have to leave as early as we can tomorrow."

Frodo lay down, as did the rest of the hobbits, but did not fall asleep. There were millions of question buzzing through his head. Who was this mysterious Strider? How did he know about this Ring and Gandalf? Where was he from? And probably the most important question of all-should we trust him?

It took him hours for him to finally fall asleep, and the last thing he saw was Strider still watching the night from the window.

XXXX

The next morning, Strider hustled the hobbits into getting ready and leaving with him. Frodo had decided to follow him; he had, after all, helped them escape from the Ringwraiths and told them he was a friend of Gandalf.

So they followed Strider away from the village of Bree and into the vast countryside. They climbed up steep hills, passed forests and trees, Strider taking care of leading the horse as they went.

The little hobbits hurried along in his wake, knowing the Black Riders were still out there. Lara had not said much since they had left; she was still angry at Frodo for not telling her a thing. Strider led them into a forest-it was young, and the trees and bushes were more spread apart.

After they got more into the depths of it, Lara heard Frodo call to Strider, a ways ahead of them, "Where are you taking us?"

"Into the wild," was all they could hear him murmur as he pressed on.

Lara watched him carefully. He put his hand on the mossy trees and sniffed the air many times; it seemed like he really knew how to track things. Merry voiced what she had been thinking. "How do we know this Strider is a friend of Gandalf?"

"I think a servant of the enemy would look fairer-feel fouler," Frodo explained in an undertone.

"He's foul enough," Merry muttered.

"We have no choice but to trust him."

"But where's he leading us?" Sam, who was now leading Bill the Pony, joined into the conversation.

"To Rivendell, Master Gamgee," Strider said loudly, causing them all to jump. Apparently he had been listening in. "To the house of Elrond."

"Did you hear that?" Sam said excitedly. "Rivendell. We're going to see the Elves!"

And besides all the worry, fear, and anxiety that Lara had felt the past two days, she felt a small bit of excitement too-she had always wanted to see the Elves.

Her excitement soon disappeared however, when the weather became rainy, and that afternoon they came to a marsh. On top of all that, when they went to stop, Strider told them there was no stopping until nightfall. When Pippin argued with him about meals, the hobbits got the dreadful realization that Men ate less than Hobbits do.

"That's too bad, isn't it now, Pippin? Guess you'll be the first to die," Lara said to him in an undertone, grinning.

They pressed on through the marshes. It was difficult going-Lara was almost ready to ask Strider to ride on his back, no matter how lowly she thought of him. The hobbits had a rough time going through the waist-high water; Lara was much shorter, so she grabbed Merry's shirt so as to not fall into the water with every step she took. And to add insult to injury, mosquitos swarmed around them and seemed to want to eat them alive.

"What do they eat when they can't get Hobbit?" Merry said, smacking his face and arms as they waded through the water. Strider was wading his way more easily through the water; Sam was thicker and was leading Bill; Frodo was bent over, almost falling, as were Lara and Merry. But Pippin fell flat on his face at one point, making Lara laugh really hard. It was cruel, she knew; but she needed a good laugh.

They camped in the marshes that night. There were many clouds rolling across the moon as they all set up their beds on the ground. Strider brought back a deer that he had somehow caught, the first real meal they had had since the inn. Lara fell asleep quickly-her legs were aching so much from the day's journey, and she was full. She could have sworn she heard someone singing, and then voices, but then decided she was just really tired, and drifted off to sleep.


	7. The Knife

**Chapter 7: The Knife**

_Every youngster knew that Brandy Hall was famous for its pranks; if you did not do at least one on someone else while you were there, it was a waste of your time. This made Frodo, Sam, and Lara rather wary of Merry and Pippin when they arrived._

_The night they arrived there, the Hall was quiet. Everyone already must have gone to bed, they decided. All five dragged their bags down the hall and up the stairs. Merry's mother told them they would be staying upstairs, as adults usually stay downstairs. Merry and Pippin claimed the biggest room; Sam and Frodo offered Lara the second biggest, but she refused, as there were two of them and one of her._

_Once she put her bag in her room, however, she knocked lightly on Sam and Frodo's door and stepped in. Sam was already neatly unpacking his belongings and Frodo was rummaging through his, seemingly looking for something. "Getting comfortable, are we?" she asked, amused. They were more like women then she was._

_Sam just shook his head with a grin, but Frodo said, "I'm looking for a book to read. I know I brought one...it should be in here somewhere."_

_"So are you here because you're worried about Merry and Pippin tomorrow too?" Sam asked. Tomorrow was Halloween-the best day to really try and scare someone._

_Lara laughed. "We can handle them, don't you think?"_

_Frodo looked up from his searching and looked a little worried. "I don't know," he said. "Those two have a lot of tricks up their sleeves."_

_"We'll just have to keep an eye out for them tomorrow," Sam said. "And promise to stay on the same side."_

_"Deal," Lara said._

_"Deal," Frodo murmured, back in deep search for his book._

_"I'm going to bed, then," Lara said, slightly disappointed they didn't want to talk more. "Good night."_

_"Night," they both replied._

_XXXXXX_

_The next morning, the hobbits woke to a splendidly decorated Brandy Hall. There were rumors of a haunted house later that night, along with some other games. Lara was not too excited by this news; she did not find haunted houses too scary, not after being around Merry and Pippin for years._

_Her, Sam, and Frodo (though he knew some already) were introduced to the hobbits around Brandy Hall. Although they seemed nice enough, the five friends kept mostly to themselves. The anticipation for nightfall was reaching its peak; some hobbit children had already gotten in trouble for almost setting the ktichen on fire._

_Night time finally arrived, and everyone met in Lara's room after dinner. "Well, what should we do?" Merry asked innocently._

_Lara, Sam, and Frodo exchanged glances. They weren't going to buy this for one instant. "We can play Hide and Seek," Pippin suggested. Lara pursed her lips. If she didn't accept, she would be deemed a coward._

_"Outside?" she asked._

_"That's a good idea," Merry said. "Are we going to play in teams?"_

_"Me, Lara, and Sam are on a team," Frodo said quickly._

_"We want Lara on our team!" Pippin said._

_"Nah, she's a girl, we don't need her," Merry said indifferently, shrugging, then giving Lara an evil grin as if daring her to try something._

_"That's good," Lara said, secretly remembering to pay him back for that later, "because I wouldn't want to be with you buffoons anyways."_

_"Ouch," Pippin said, laughing._

_"Okay," Merry said, face lit up. "Are you hiding?" Before they could reply, he said, "Good!" Lara glared at him. "We'll give you a few seconds. Ready...go!"_

_Lara immediately darted down the hallway. She knew that when Merry and Pippin were involved, no time could be wasted. They ran outside and stood under a tree, watching the front entrance carefully. "Here, let's duck," Lara said, crouching low. Sam and Frodo followed her actions, waiting for those two figures to come sprinting out the door._

_"What do you think they're doing?" Frodo asked, slightly nervously._

_"Probably are just going to try and scare us, no doubt," Lara said._

_"What should we do?" Sam said._

_"I don't know," Lara replied. They waited for a very long time; finally, Lara spoke up again. "Where are they?"_

_Frodo and Sam looked worried. "They haven't come out the front door yet," Frodo said, stating the obvious._

_"Maybe they're making sure that we aren't in the Hall," Sam said._

_"Maybe," Lara whispered, "but I doubt it."_

_"They probably went out the back way," Frodo said. "Through the kitchen."_

_"Yeah, Pippin was probably hungry," Sam said, making the other two burst into laughter._

_"Well, no matter where they are, we probably shouldn't stay in one place for long," Lara said. "Let's go over by the house."_

_They crept across the large lawn again, keeping low. It was a very dark night; if someone looked out the window, they would not see them unless they went through a light. They flattened themselves against the wall and peeked around the corners every once in a while. Lara popped her head out and watched the front lawn for a while longer. Minutes longer, she saw two dark figures by the tree they were just at. "Wha-" Frodo started to say loudly, but Lara leaped at him and covered his mouth._

_She put her finger to her mouth, then pointed at the shadows. Frodo nodded. "How did they know we were just at that tree?" Sam whispered._

_"Maybe there's-" Lara looked down to confirm her suspicion. "Footprints," she said, pointing again. The ground was so soft, she should have known. "We have to move, now."_

_"Where are we going to go?" Frodo said. "They can follow us anywhere."_

_"Inside. They'll know we are there, but they can't follow us when they get there."_

_"Alright."_

_The trio took off and scuttled in the back door. Merry and Pippin must have seen them move because seconds later, they heard footsteps. Lara took Frodo and Sam and pulled them into the pantry, which was the nearest door. Hardly daring to breathe, they lay there, in a heap, listening._

_"Which way did they go?" Pippin said._

_"Does it look like I know, Pippin? If you were Lara, where would you hide?"_

_"Upstairs."_

_"Let's go check."_

_Their footsteps faded away, and Lara snorted with laughter. "Those idiots," she said, then imitated Merry's voice. "If you were Lara, where would you hide!" Frodo and Sam started laughing too, but then grew serious._

_"I think we should go hide up in the attic," Sam said thoughtfully. "They're probably too scared to go up there."_

_"Lead the way, Sam," Lara said._

_They tiptoed after Sam into the darkness. None of them could see a thing-the Hall was deserted, and no lights were on anywhere. Sam fumbled blindly through the darkness, Lara holding on to him, and Frodo holding on to her, like a chain. They finally came to the stairs, after many false alarms and bumping into things, and crawled on their hands and knees up them, trying not to make a sound._

_Lara swore she could hear scuffling sounds, and from the look in Frodo's bright blue eyes when she looked over at him, he could too. But they just pressed on behind Sam, who apparently had heard nothing. After crawling one more flight of stairs, the hobbits could barely make out a thin strip of moonlight coming from the window in the hall. They moved a bit faster now that they had a little light, but were reduced again to low speeds when they reached the pitch-black attic._

_"Sam?" Lara said, when they were sitting still on the floor. "Remind me why you wanted us to come here again."_

_"I know it's scary, but that's the reason we came here. Merry and Pippin would be too scared."_

_It was silent again except for the three's shallow breathing. They sat huddled in a circle for a very long time, occasionally speaking in whispers. And then, it all happened very fast. Lara heard a loud Thud! and she gasped loudly. Two figures collided with them in the middle of their circle. Lara toppled over onto one of her alliances and did not know where the other was. She grabbed the one who she had toppled into's wrist, and pulled him along into the corner, hoping it was Frodo or Sam. It was so dark in the room that Merry and Pippin would not see them if they were far enough away._

_She shook the person's wrist and they immediately leaned in and whispered very quietly, "It's Frodo."_

_"Where's Sam?"_

_"I don't know, I think they're fighting over there." Sure enough, Lara heard sounds of a struggle. "I'd better go help Sam," Frodo said, and started to move away. "Stay here."_

_"No!" Lara whispered frantically, grabbing his arms. "You stay here! Please."_

_"What about Sam?"_

_"Shh! I can't hear them anymore!"_

_"Sam got away," they heard Merry laugh into the darkness. "Now where are you? We need to do our Halloween surprise to somebody at least!"_

_Lara heard faint movement right next to her and gasped, which probably gave them away. Merry jumped on her, and Pippin soon joined the noise and jumped on her as well. There was another fight as Frodo tried to pry them off, but Merry and Pippin overpowered them- but not after Lara felt she had given Merry a few good punches in the mouth. Lara was pinned to the floor by Merry, and she heard Frodo breathing right beside her on the ground._

_"You gave us a pretty good search," Pippin said gleefully. "But we found you. Here Merry, take your part of the rope." Lara felt her feet being tied together, and her hands. Merry sat her up and Pippin sat Frodo up, and they went on to tie them back to back. Last but not least, cloth was stuffed in their mouths._

_"Happy Halloween!" Merry and Pippin said, laughing so hard that Lara thought they would burst. They picked them up easily and set them in the tiny closet. "Bye now!" Frodo and Lara heard the door close. This was serious. They could not call for help, nor release themselves. And to add on to that, Lara just seemed to remember the awkwardness of being this close to Frodo. He reached for her hands, and he thought for a fleeting moment that he was trying to hold them, but it turned out he was trying to free her. His attempt was to no avail; she tried helping him too, but nothing seemed to work._

_They tried to escape for some time, but after awhile they realized that it was quite hopeless. They could only hope that Sam would come looking for them. It was another half an hour or so before the door to their jail cell was finally flung open._

XXXXXXXXX

The next day was also a long one; though they had finally made it through those horrible marshes, the plains aftwerward were not much better. They were long, and boring, and the only interesting thing to look at for miles were large rocks.

But as the sun started to go down and the horizon was tinged with pink, they finally came upon a large mountain-like structure. There looked to be a hole in the side, a cavemouth in the rocks, and ruins at the top. Strider stopped. "This is the great watchtower of Amon Sul," he said, gazing up at it, then looking back around at the hobbits. "We shall rest here tonight."

They had settled in the little cave, eaten, and set up their beds by the time it was darker. Strider announced he would be taking a look around, and pulled out some little swords for them-hobbit-sized. They pulled them out and examined them carefully, thrilled they had swords, but not so thrilled about their protector leaving. But he did leave, after telling them to stay put, and the hobbits sat huddled around together for quite some time before curling into their beds on the hard ground.

The next thing Lara heard was a loud shriek coming from what sounded like Frodo, and her eyes flew open. She was still lying on the ground; she saw the glitter of light coming from a fire, which Frodo was stomping on, yelling "Put it out, you fools!"

She made a move to get up, but then froze lying down when she heard the familiar squeal of a Black Rider. She could not move; terror overcame her as she wondered how close they were-they had sounded as if they were screeching in her ear. Moments later, she heard swords being drawn, and Frodo yell, "Go! Get Lara!" She felt hands pull her up and she was running; she could not quite see where, was just blindly following the rest.

She soon realized they were going to the top, where the ruins where. She imitated the others and drew her sword as she ran. The hobbits got to the top and stood in the middle of the circle of ruins-slowly moving in a circle, huddled together. Every movement they heard made them jump, their eyes played tricks on them. And then Lara saw Frodo looking over her shoulder, and the fear on his face confirmed it-he was seeing a Black Rider. He began to back up as she wheeled around, and not one, but five Black Riders were emerging out of the misty darkness.

They advanced slowly, drawing their swords-longer than the hobbits themselves. Sam lept forward desperately as they drew closer. "Back you devils!" he bellowed. He clanged swords twice with one, but it easily threw him off to the side. Lara was next-they threw her aside as well. She hit her head on the rock, hard. Head spinning, she sat up and saw the blurry images of Merry and Pippin being forced apart and thrown. All they wanted was Frodo. He backed up, but slipped, started inching backwards away from the Riders. There was a wall, he had hit a dead end-one of the Wraiths came forward with his sword-Lara tried to scream, tell him to get out of the way, but no sound came out.

Sam was struggling to get up, Lara could see him out of the corner of her eye and turned to look. In the second she looked away, Frodo had disappeared. She panicked-the good thing was it seemed to open up her voice box. "Sam!" she screamed. "I think Frodo put on the Ring!"

Seconds later, Strider came leaping into view with a stick of fire, fighting the Wraiths. It distracted Lara momentarily-until she heard a terrible yell. She whipped around-Frodo had reappeared, his chest bloody. She heard Sam shout, "Frodo!" and she echoed him, scrambling over the ruins.

The hobbits crowded around him, stroking his head, trying to help in some way. Frodo, however, kept yelling. Lara knew this was serious-the Rider had apparently just stabbed him deep into his chest. She did not know the effects of their swords on hobbits. She couldn't look at it-serious injuries made her feel sick. Sam was desperately trying to heal something, but of course he had no idea what he was doing. "Strider!" Sam yelled. _He can't die_, she just keep thinking. _Frodo won't die._

Tear tracks were etched in her face when Strider finally fought off the last Rider-he came over to Frodo, who was still howling as if he were on fire. "Help him, Strider," Sam whined.

Strider picked up the sword grimly. "He's been stabbed by a Morgul blade," he said, as it vanished to dust at his touch. He dropped it. "This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs Elvish medicine." Lara suppressed a loud sob. He picked up Frodo and hurried off, the hobbits running along after him.

"It's six days from Rivendell," Sam said as they made it to the forest, "He'll never make it!"

Strider kept running, muttering things to Frodo that Lara could not hear. They ran through the forest-Lara lost track of how long-Frodo yelling at random times, once or twice screaming Gandalf's name. Lara cried silently as she hurried along, knowing he didn't have much longer. Strider suggested they stop to rest, and Lara wanted to scream at him-didn't he understand that they had to keep going? But she was partly grateful when she sat down-she hadn't realized how tired she was, or how fast they had been running.

They stopped by three large stone trolls and lay Frodo on the ground. He was gasping and shrieking, his eyes misted over, unseeing. "Look, Frodo," Sam said to him, "It's Mr. Bilbo's trolls!"

Lara realized with a jolt that these were indeed the trolls from one of her favorite Bilbo stories. She was in her own story now-it seemed like a horror story. She heard Strider mutter to Sam, "Do you know the Athelas plant?"

"Athelas?" Sam replied, confused.

"Kingsfoil."

"Kingsfoil, that's a weed!"

"It may help to slow the poison. Hurry!" Sam and Strider hurried off. Lara took a deep breath in. Poison. That word made it sound even more real-made it seem even more that Frodo was going to die. Merry and Pippin came over and hugged her at the same time.

"It's going to be all right," Merry murmured. "Strider will help him."

"He said it's beyond his skill to heal!"

They had no answer to that, and Lara just sat there, sobbing into their arms. All of the sudden, a bright white light filled the clearing. She brushed away the tears and looked around to Frodo, thinking for a brief, insane moment it was the lights of heaven coming to get him.

But she was wrong, of course, and Frodo was looking at something, eyes wide. Lara looked too, and saw a beautiful woman, dressed in all white, glowing. She had long, dark hair, and moved so beautifully that Lara knew she could only be one thing: an Elf. She was too scared to fully appreciate that she was actually seeing an Elf, but she did hear her speaking to Frodo in a language she didn't understand.

When she stopped speaking, Frodo groaned and turned back over, eyes still open, and then was quiet.

She ran over to him; his eyes were still veiled, and she knew he could not see her. "Frodo," she whispered, grasping his hand. "Can't you hear me, too?"

She looked over to the Elf woman, and to her surprise, she was now standing by a horse, saddling it and hurriedly whispering to Strider. _She must know Strider,_ she thought. They appeared to be arguing, though she couldn't tell, as they were speaking that language again. Pippin and Merry were listening intently, and she heard Pippin mutter to Merry, "What are they saying?"

"I do not fear them," the woman was saying, now in Lara's language.

Strider said nothing, just helped her onto the horse, then went to pick up Frodo. "What are you doing?" Lara gasped. She followed Strider to the horse.

"Arwen," Strider said. "Ride hard. Don't look back."

Arwen whispered something to her horse, and it took off into the trees. "What are you doin'? Sam yelled. "Those Wraiths are still out there!"

"Come," Strider said calmly. "We must make for Rivendell. Arwen and Frodo will meet us there."

Lara was partly relieved, partly horrified-Frodo had a chance to make it to Rivendell on time, and he was with an Elf-he would be fine-unless those Wraiths caught up with them.

The next few days were the longest Lara had ever lived through. They pressed on through the forest quickly, barely stopping to rest. The four hobbits were so anxious with fear for Frodo that they hardly ate, just followed Strider blindly to Rivendell. Days later, they finally came to a mountainside, and from a great distance, Lara could see what looked like a village and waterfalls. It was beautiful; the whole thing seemed to glow gold.

"We are here," Strider murmured.


	8. Rivendell

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a/n- more reviews equals good! yay! keep it up, people! more!

-Reviewers-

**MotRD- **LOL! I wouldn't mind being locked in that cupboard either! ha! yay, i'm glad i was a boredom buster for ya...i hate boredom, don't you? well, here's another chappie (only one tho, sorry lol), and thanks again so much for reviewing!! :)

**ShortHappens- **yay!! new reader! i love your name! glad you like it!! and yes i love the flashbacks too, they're my favorite to write! thanks for reviewing hope you come back :)

**Fiery Dragon164-** another new reader! whee! i will most certainly continue...please read and review again! thx!! :)

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**Chapter 8: Rivendell**

_Lara and Frodo squinted in a sudden light-and to their immense relief it turned out to be Samwise, holding a lantern. "Hurry!" he hissed, freeing them. "They'll know I'm going to come here for you!"_

_They didn't need telling twice. They threw the ropes to the ground and scurried after Sam. "Sam!" Lara whispered. "Put the lantern out!"_

_Sam obliged, and the three hobbits were plunged into darkness. They stood in the hall, only able to hear each other's deep breathing. "Those two!" Lara finally burst out. "They better be ready for the most unpleasant week of their lives."_

_"We need to hide somewhere first," Frodo said. "Then make a plan."_

_"Let's all go to the same place," Sam said._

_"My room," Lara offered. "It's biggest."_

_As quietly as they could, they made their way down the flight of stairs, gripping each other so they wouldn't be lost. They were all rather jumpy; every little noise they heard they stopped and listened carefully, eventually going again when they thought the coast was clear._

_Lara's room was entered cautiously-Merry and Pippin could have staked out there-but after an inspection it was proved safe. Sam shut the door and lit the lantern again. "Frodo, Sam," Lara said. "Get everything we can-like that chair over there-and pile it against the door."_

_Their barricade took several minutes-they had to make sure they could sleep in peace and there wouldn't be any unwanted nighttime visitors. When it proved satisfactory, and only the strongest of hobbits would be able to push their way into the room, the hobbits finally set up some blankets on the floor. They whispered to each other for a long while about revenge plans-but they couldn't think of any that really did Merry and Pippin justice before they nodded off to sleep._

_The next morning, Lara woke from the sunlight streaming into her room. She groaned. They had forgotten to shut the curtains-it must be very early. She looked over at the two sleeping boys and grinned. Sam was snoring-loud-and Frodo's mouth was slightly agape, breathing deeply. A really good idea suddenly came to her. She jumped up onto the bed, bent low, and sprung onto the pile of blankets-and the unfortunate sleeping boys._

_Frodo yelped in pain and sat up. Sam, however, grunted and merely rolled over, still half asleep. "I thought you were Merry and Pippin," Frodo said, clutching his side. "Ouch."_

_"Sorry," Lara said, laughing. "I couldn't help myself."_

_Frodo winced. "I think you broke my ribs."_

_"I did not!" Lara said. She saw his face, which was contorted in pain and was instantly worried. "Wait...really?"_

_"No," he said, laughing and taking his hand off his side and pushing her playfully. "I was just giving you a hard time."_

_"Haha."_

_"Sam didn't even move," Frodo said, amused, as he looked at Sam snoring again. "He probably didn't even feel it."_

_Lara shook her head. "We'd better get him up. We have lots of planning to do."_

_XXX_

_Though they had been awake for a few hours, Lara, Sam, and Frodo showed up to breakfast a little late. They had gotten a bit carried away with their planning and lost track of the time. Luckily, they had made the most of their hours, and now had a plan ready to put into action._

_After breakfast, at which they ignored Merry and Pippin to the best of their ability, they again hurried up to their room and got ready to split up to put their plan into action. "Remind me again why I'm the one that has to go get the rope from the attic," Lara said._

_"You're fastest," Frodo said. "You can run if somebody sees you."_

_"Oh that's comforting," she said acidly._

_Though she did not like it, she ended up getting the rope just fine. Merry and Pippin were not guarding the attic, and it was still there from the night before. She delivered it to Sam in her bedroom, then proceeded to the kitchen were she was supposed to meet Frodo. "What do Merry and Pippin like to eat best?" he asked when she walked in._

_"Cake."_

_Frodo laughed and held up some ingredients to make the cake._

_"Perfect," she assured him._

_"I got the herbs."_

_"Let's make the cake then-we can sprinkle them on at the end. They won't even notice."_

_XXX_

_Sam spent a long time looking for Merry and Pippin, but eventually found them in one of the spare bedrooms. He entered the room-they stood up quickly, Pippin knocking over a chair in the process, and braced themselves, but Sam held up his hands. "No! I surrender!" he said._

_Merry and Pippin looked at each other. "You surrender?" Merry said in disbelief._

_"Yes," Sam said. "I'm getting quite sick of Lara and Frodo, to be quite honest. I'm going to join your side."_

_"What made you so sick of them?" Pippin asked curiously._

_"They're always giggling with each other and stuff-it's annoying."_

_Merry looked sour, but Pippin did not seem to notice. "Of course you can join us. They don't stand a chance against us now."_

_Sam shook his head. "Of course they don't."_

_Sam planned things with them for the rest of the day-and to him it was a long one, for he had to wait until it was dark-before he finally exclaimed, "I'm hungry! Isn't it time for dessert yet?"_

_"Sam, my friend, you sure have your priorities straight. It is near dessert time. Let's go see what there is to eat," Merry said._

_They headed down to the kitchen, Sam leading the way. "Oh!" Pippin exclaimed, as soon as they reached the kitchen; for there on the table was a freshly baked cake, ready to eat. Merry and Pippin wasted no time-they darted forward and stuffed them in their mouths. They had eaten several pieces before they saw Sam was still standing back._

_"Sam, aren't you-" Merry began. But at that second, he and Pippin blinked a few times, then fell over, sleeping soundly. Sam burst out laughing-he couldn't help himself. He didn't know the herbs would work that fast. Lara and Frodo came in the room then, laughing at the sight of the sleeping Merry and Pippin as well._

_"Frodo, you are a genius," Lara said, still looking at Merry and Pippin._

_"Thank you, thank you," he said, pretending to bow. "Sam, how did you get them to believe you were surrendering?"_

_"They aren't very smart, honestly," Sam laughed. "And I told them I was sick of you."_

_"Sick of us?" Lara said, giggling._

_"Yes. I said you always were giggling with each other and stuff-if you know what I mean."_

_"Sam!" Lara said, feeling her face grow warm. She determinedly avoided Frodo's eyes._

_"I was just kidding!"_

_"Look," Frodo said, hurriedly changing the subject, his face slightly pink as well, "We'd better hurry, those herbs don't work but for an hour or two."_

_It was already growing dark by the time they carried them outside to their specified tree-Sam carrying Merry and the rope, Lara and Frodo carrying Pippin. They laid them down at the base of the tree in the grass._

_"Here, Lara. Will you do the honors?" Sam asked, handing her some of the rope._

_"My pleasure," she said, laughing. She scaled the tree easily and tied some around a large branch, letting the rest hang down about halfway between the branch and the ground before she jumped back down._

_"Ready?" Frodo asked._

_Sam and Lara nodded, and all three of their faces lit up in a grin._

_XXX_

_"Pippin?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"We never should have messed with Lara."_

_"I know. We'll have to get her back now. This is worse than what we did. And remind me never to trust Samwise again."_

_"What is it that you said we would have all of them doing by the end of the week?"_

_"Begging for mercy."_

_"Yes, that. Well I have the feeling that we will be the ones begging for mercy if they come back here," Merry said mournfully, as the wind moved them ever so slightly side to side and they hung there, suspended from the tree by their ankles-a piece of cake laid just out of their reach._

* * *

Lara's breath was quite taken away by the beauty of Rivendell. She remembered that Frodo was in this place, and was glad-it seemed like nothing bad could happen here. "Words cannot describe it," Sam murmured in Lara's ear. She nodded. She couldn't agree more.

"We will have excellent hospitality and rest here," Strider said. "And, of course, unite with Frodo once more. Let us go."

They were greeted with the hospitality that Strider had promised them. A tall, aged Elf greeted them in the Grand Hall, smiling. "Welcome to Rivendell," he said. "I am Lord Elrond. I hope that you will enjoy your stay here."

After waiting a few moments, Lara spoke up nervously. "Please, Lord Elrond," she said. "We would like to see our friend, Frodo. Is he-here?"

"Indeed," Lord Elrond answered. "I will bring you to him right away."

They hurried along in Lord Elrond's wake, admiring the way he moved across the marble floor. They passed other Elves in the Hall as well, and each seemed to move with the same grace, the same beauty. Lara wished she had another set of eyes. She admired the detail carved into every archway and statue, and the place gleamed.

Lord Elrond came to a room with two other Elves standing outside. The large door was closed, but they bowed and opened the doors for them. They followed Lord Elrond inside; there was a large bed in the center. Candles were glowing all around, although it was still light outside. They could hear birds chirping from the opening in the wall-windows carved in.

Lara started to hurry, as she wanted to see Frodo desperately. Her and her friends were craning their necks to try and get a glimpse of him. When Lord Elrond moved to the side, they could finally see his head on the bed, looking small in this grand room. His dark hair was mussed against the pillow, but he was motionless, pale against the brown sheets. They came to the edge of the bed and Lara sighed. He was not awake.

They were so busy observing Frodo that they did not even notice Lord Elrond and Strider leave the room and someone else enter it. Lara covered Frodo's still hand with hers. "Is he awake?" Merry whispered.

"No," a deep voice from behind them said. "And he will not wake for some time." The four hobbits turned to see Gandalf standing on the other side of Frodo's bed, pipe in his mouth.

"Gandalf!" they cried.

"You're alright!" Sam said.

And it dawned on them; he was alright-why wasn't he in Bree when they needed him? "Gandalf," Lara said. "Why weren't you in Bree?"

"The better question is, why are _you_ here, young lady? Meriadoc and Peregrin as well. Explain."

"We sort of fell into it," Merry explained.

"Literally," Pippin added.

"Hmph," Gandalf said. "Have you been told anything from Frodo or Samwise?"

"No," Lara answered, rather bitterly. "They haven't told us a thing. But, seeing as we're in on it now, I think we have a right to know." She glanced at Frodo's sleeping figure, as if afraid he might wake up. She knew he wouldn't approve of her knowing, though she did not know why.

"Well," Gandalf said. "I suppose we can discuss it over a meal."

"Excellent," Pippin said, grinning. Lara and Sam shook their heads.

Gandalf led them out of the room, Sam and Lara going rather reluctantly but not wanting to displease Gandalf.

XXX

"Where am I?" Frodo murmured.

"You are in the house of Elrond, And it is 10:00 in the morning. On October the 24th if you want to know," said a deep voice.

Frodo slowly opened his eyes to see Gandalf sitting at the edge of his bed, smoking a pipe. He observed the room he was in. It seemed to be made of gold; yet it was also combined with the outdoors, so leaves were falling gently in through the window. "Gandalf!" Frodo exclaimed.

"Yes," said Gandalf. "I'm here. And you're lucky to be here too. A few more hours, and you would have been beyond our aid. But you have some strength in you, my dear Hobbit," he finished, looking at Frodo fondly.

Frodo sat up slowly, hand on his left shoulder, feeling the bandages that had been placed there. "What happened, Gandalf? Why didn't you meet us?"

"I am sorry, Frodo. I was delayed." Frodo noticed his face when he said that; he looked as if he were remembering something quite unpleasant. "Gandalf?" Frodo said, concerned. "What is it?"

"Nothing, Frodo," Gandalf said, smiling a bit to try and reassure him, though something still looked very wrong.

"Frodo!" a voice said, and Sam ran into the room. "Frodo! Bless you, you're awake!" he said excitedly. Frodo laughed a little at Sam's excitement.

"Sam has hardly left your side," Gandalf said. "And Miss Lara, though she is not here now-I just had to force her to go eat."

"We were that worried about you, weren't we Mr. Gandalf?" Sam said.

Frodo turned to Gandalf and smiled. "By the skills of Lord Elrond, you're beginning to mend," Gandalf said, turning as Lord Elrond came into the room and stood by Gandalf's chair.

"Welcome to Rivendell, Frodo Baggins," he said grandly.

Lara, on the other hand, was eating her food as fast as she could, so as to get back to Frodo's room, as Merry and Pippin watched, rather impressed despite themselves. "Slow down already, Lara!" Merry said. "He'll still be there when you're done eating."

"Yeah," Pippin said. "It's not like he moves much."

Lara stopped for a second. "Hilarious, Pippin."

"Sorry."

When she was finished, which was only minutes later, she got up and hurried towards Frodo's room. She saw a lone figure standing on the balcony outside it, and for a moment thought it was Sam-but then she saw the hair was dark, and the skin was fair.

She smiled and started to laugh, hardly able to believe it. Frodo saw her below and started to laugh as well, holding out his arms. She ran up to him as fast as she could, laughing as she went, and she faintly heard her name come from him as she hugged him tightly. "Frodo!" she exclaimed. "You're awake! Finally!"

"Yes," he said, smiling. "I am awake."

She pulled her head back to look at him. "How do you feel?"

One of his hands went to his shoulder. "It's...ok. There is still some pain. Only a little," he said, seeing her face. "Lord Elrond said I will never fully heal."

Lara said nothing, only rested her head again on his good shoulder. After a minute or two, they both pulled away as Frodo admired the view. She watched him look at Rivendell, smiling. "It's breathtaking, isn't it?" she said, grasping his hand. Frodo nodded, still gazing off. "Would you like to come see Merry and Pippin?" she asked. He looked at her, smiling, and nodded again, so she pulled him down the stairs.

There was a lot of laughing and smiling as Merry and Pippin greeted Frodo-and then Frodo caught sight of someone else. The aged, white-haired figure was sitting alone at a bench, reading and swinging his short legs. "Bilbo!" Frodo cried.

"Frodo, my lad!" Bilbo exclaimed, standing up slowly.

Merry and Pippin went to follow, but Lara held out her arm and stopped them. "Let him see Bilbo for awhile first," she said. "We'll get plenty of time with him and Bilbo later. Come on, let's go eat some more." And, with one last look at Frodo and Bilbo, she led them again to the Hall to eat.

After they had eaten, again, Merry and Pippin made their way off to their rooms, and Lara wandered around Rivendell, hoping to see Frodo somewhere. She did not see him, but she did see Sam, out by the fence that overlooked the waterfall, packing his bag. "Hey, Sam," she said, standing near him and looking out at the waterfall.

"Hey Lara," Sam said, sparing her a glance before he kept going. "Now, what have I forgotten?"

"Packed already?" Lara looked up at Frodo's voice, and saw him strolling towards them, hands in pockets.

"No harm in being prepared," Sam said, standing up and also tucking his hands in his pockets.

Frodo walked off to look over the fence by Lara, saying as he went, "I thought you wanted to see the Elves, Sam."

"I do."

"More than anything," Frodo said, sounding amused.

"I did. It's just..." he stepped near them. "We did what Gandalf wanted us to do, didn't we? We-" he paused and glanced between Lara and Frodo before continuing. "We got the Ring this far, to Rivendell."

Frodo looked at Lara. "Yes, I know about the Ring, Frodo," she said, in response to his unasked question. "And I would still be mad at you if you didn't get hurt."

Frodo laughed. "Lucky me." He did not look quite pleased that she knew, but she figured that he knew he had to accept it.

Sam continued. "I just thought...seeing as you're on the mend, we'd be off soon. Off home." When he said the word home, Lara got homesick in an instant. She hoped Frodo's journey back to the Shire would be okay; that his shoulder would not affect him in their travels home. She was lost in a daydream about the hills of the Shire.

It seemed Frodo got homesick too, because he said, "You're right, Sam. We did what we set out to do. The Ring will be safe in Rivendell," he said, opening his hand and displaying the gold band for a moment before putting it back in his pocket. "I am ready to go home." He put his arms around his two friends, and together they walked off.


	9. The Council

**a/n- flashback is a lot shorter than the regular part this time...anyhoo, keep up the reviews plz!**

**Chapter 9:The Council**

_Lara, Sam, and Frodo contained themselves until they reached Lara's room, and then they burst into furious laughter. They high-fived each other and sat on the floor, laughing, until finally Sam said, wiping his eyes, "That cake was perfect. The finishing touch. Great idea, Lara."_

_Lara grinned. "Both of you came up with great ideas, I had to figure out something to equal you."_

_"Do you think we should help them down eventually?" Frodo said, looking a bit worried._

_Lara looked at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?"_

_"Well, yeah. I mean, can't you get hurt from hanging upside down for too long?"_

_Sam nodded. "Frodo's got a point. We don't want to kill them."_

_Lara sighed. "Oh, alright. But let's let them hang for a while."_

_Again, they set up their beds to sleep on the floor, but before they bolted the door, Sam declared he was going to go cut them down. Frodo went with him, but Lara stayed, not liking the idea of letting them go._

_When they returned, she jumped up and immediately started bolting the door with heavy objects. "What did they say?" she said as she worked. Sam and Frodo started to help her._

_"They wanted a truce."_

_"What!?" she said, stopping and looking at them._

_"Yeah," Sam said, looking skeptical. "But we'd still better watch out, I doubt they're going to be trucing after that."_

_"Of course not," Lara said. "But they have learned that we're not to be trifled with."_

_"That's for sure," Frodo said, laughing. "Lara was going to leave them hanging there until they found a way down!"_

_The hobbits laughed at that. Soon after, they all went to sleep again on the floor. The next morning at breakfast, however, they found nothing to laugh about._

_When they came to the Hall, they found Esmeralda, Merry's mother, waiting for them, arms crossed. They looked behind her to see Merry and Pippin grinning, still with faint lines from the ropes on their ankles._

_They had not, like Lara, Sam, and Frodo had thought they did, tell Esmeralda about the rope incident-but they had gotten a great deal of mud on their way inside last night and spread it around the Hall-and told Esmeralda it was them. Indeed, the three still had dried mud on their feet from last night in the woods; and when they pointed out that Merry and Pippin had been there also, their feet were checked and turned out clean._

_They were scolded by a few adult hobbits before sent back up to their bedrooms-of course, they did not listen and all went to Lara's bedroom. After they bolted the door, they looked at each other incredulously. "I can not believe that Esmeralda bought that," Lara said. "They just washed their feet!"_

_"Yeah, well, we did look more guilty, because ours were dirty," Sam said. "Filthy maggots," he growled. "So much for truce."_

_"How long do we have to stay in this room?" Frodo said._

_"Until Elevensies."_

_"Perfect. Let's plan something."_

_"Alright. But I wonder why they didn't tell about the rope," Lara said._

_"Because," Sam answered, "they would have to answer for their pranks as well. They aren't going to tell about that."_

_For the remainder of their time in the room, they tried to plan more; but ended up not getting much done and insulting Merry and Pippin instead. Elevensies came, and the sweet smell of pie came from the kitchen. They ate, and right when they were about to head back up to their rooms, Lara stopped. "Frodo, come with me," she said. "Sam, you get Esmeralda in the Hall somehow after about five minutes. Don't bring her out too early."_

_"What are you doing?"_

_"You'll see."_

_Lara pulled Frodo with her into the kitchen and ordered him to talk to the cook to distract him. Frodo reluctantly did, asking him what's for lunch, dinner, things like that, and keeping his attention diverted from the pie sitting on the windowsill. Lara crept forward-this was her area of expertise- and she snatched the pie quickly, __crawled down, took one glance to make sure the cook wasn't looking, and took off out the kitchen door. She heard Frodo say goodbye hurriedly to the chef, and they met in the Hall._

_"Sam should be coming any minute with Esmeralda," Lara said. "I want you to tell her that you saw Merry and Pippin run outside with a pie when she comes out here. You think they stole it from the kitchen."_

_Frodo grinned. "Genius."_

_"If they want to make us look like troublemakers, I'll show them." She headed outdoors, and saw Merry and Pippin standing there, whispering, heads together._

_"Hello!" she called._

_They jumped and backed up a few steps, eyeing the pie in her hands. Lara looked down at it and frowned. "Oh, no! I'm not going to throw this at you. Think of this as a gift-you said you wanted a truce and here you are. I decided to be the bigger person, and call this off." She held out the pie._

_Merry and Pippin clearly thought something was up; but the smell of a delicious, freshly baked pie was definitely over ruling their decision. They took it, and Pippin said. "I don't believe for one second that this is a truce. But we'll take the pie." He grinned at Merry. Those idiots, Lara thought. They think they're being clever._

_She forced herself to stay calm and smiled at them. "Alright then," she said. "See for yourself." And with that, she ran around the Hall, to enter the back way._

_Merry and Pippin looked at each other. "That wasn't weird at all," Pippin said sarcastically. "You know, we probably shouldn't eat this..." he said, looking at it doubtfully._

_As he looked at it, the Hall main doors burst open and out came Esmeralda, accompanied by Frodo and Sam. "Meraidoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took! Never have I seen such treachery! You stole this pie from the kitchen! The cook worked very hard on that!"_

_Merry and Pippin looked at each other, realizing, then quickly started shaking their heads, but it was no use-Esmeralda was already leading them inside. Sam and Frodo chuckled and high fived each other._

_XXX_

_But Merry and Pippin did not stop. After dinner that night, they came to Lara's room, which had been sabotaged. Her suitcase was dumped over in a heap on the ground, ink bottles upset and papers strewn everywhere. Frodo and Sam said nothing, just started to help her clean the mess. Lara ran forward and started hurriedly searching through her suitcase. Frodo looked up. "What are you doing?"_

_Lara held up a little book and breathed out. "My diary," she said, looking relieved. "If they would have found that..."_

_"Why, what do you write?" Frodo said, grinning._

_"None of your business, Mr. Baggins!"_

_He said nothing, but kept cleaning, a slight smile still on his face. Frodo and Sam knew that tomorrow Lara would come up with one of the best pranks yet-after all, they had just sabotaged her room, and it was one of their last days here._

* * *

The next two days that passed were peaceful. Everyone was so relieved that Frodo was up and moving again, and seemed to feel just fine, besides some slight pain.

Frodo, of course, was happier than ever now that Bilbo was here, and there was the prospect of going home. Everyone was feeling great-except for Gandalf and Lord Elrond.

They knew that the Ring could not be safe in Rivendell, though the hobbits did not. So, Elrond called a Council the next morning, and Frodo was summoned. Lara was not too worried-she figured they just needed him to give them the Ring. She was walking with Bilbo alone that night, as Frodo had retired and gone to bed early.

"Bilbo," she said, "You must come back to the Shire with us." She knew Frodo had wanted to ask him this.

Bilbo's aged face stretched into a kind smile. "My dear," he said, "I belong here."

Lara looked put out. "Frodo misses you greatly. And so do I."

Bilbo looked out over the balcony-even in darkness Rivendell was beautiful. "Yes," he said. "I know. But you all have so much to do yet in your lives-you will go far, I know."

Lara was silent for a long time. "What is this Council about exactly, Bilbo?"

"I believe they are going to decide what is going to be done about this Ring of Frodo's."

"It can not stay in Rivendell?"

"I am not sure..." he trailed off, looking thoughtful as he stared at a waterfall in the dark.

Lara hugged him and looked at Bilbo's face. "Are you ready for bed, Bilbo dear? You look tired."

"I am quite tired. Yes, I think I am ready for rest." Lara smiled and escorted him slowly up the stairs to his room.

"Goodnight, Bilbo. Sleep well," she said when they reached his room.

"Thank you, Lara. And thank you for being such a good friend to my lad. He is very fond of you, you know." Lara did not see the slight twinkle in Bilbo's eye.

She smiled. "Your welcome Bilbo. Goodnight."

He smiled once more and closed the door to his room. She was not quite ready to go to bed yet-she wondered if Merry or Pippin were up still. Merry's room was closest-so she made her way down the hall to his room. She knocked lightly on the door when she reached it-she could not hear a sound, but a few seconds later, the door opened.

Merry was fully dressed, so Lara was glad to know she had not woken him. "Hello," Merry said, stepping back to let her in.

"Hey Merry. Where's Pip?"

"He went to bed. We need to get up early tomorrow."

Lara laughed. "That's the first time you've probably ever said that. Why?"

"To eavesdrop on the Council, of course."

"Oh no! Merry, you can't!"

"Why not?"

Lara could not think of a good enough excuse. "Exactly," Merry said, grinning. "So is there a reason you're in my room right now?"

"I was just walking with Bilbo. I wanted to see if you or Pippin were awake to talk about the Council."

"Well, I tried asking Frodo about it-but he's pretty tight-lipped. We're so curious...I mean, even Sam is going to eavesdrop tomorrow."

"Even Sam?"

"Yep."

"Well...then _maybe_ I could join you."

"That's the spirit."

"Well...I suppose I should be going to bed now then-if I am to join you."

"Goodnight Lara." He hesitated. "Erm...sleep well."

She was confused. What's there to be so hesitant about? "Goodnight, Merry. See you in the morning."

XXX

Lara woke late the next morning. She wondered if the Council had started yet. After walking around the Halls looking for everyone and finding them deserted, it was apparent to her that it had. She wondered where Merry and Pippin could be-better yet, she wondered where the Council was held.

It did not take her long to find out. There was a large gathering of all kinds of people-Men, Dwarves, and Elves. Gandalf was there, and Frodo seemed to be the only Hobbit-she could just barely make out his dark mass of hair on the far side of the circle. Lara was surprised that Sam had not been invited into the Council as well; after all, he had known about the Ring initially as well.

She looked around-he and Merry and Pippin must be around here somewhere. She could see the little Ring sitting on a tree stump in the middle of the circle. She could not hear very well-so she looked for a better spot to listen in.

She ducked low and scurried along the row of bushes by the Hall. The entrance to the little courtyard where the circle was held was flanked by two pillars-and by those pillars sat Merry and Pippin, leaning in eagerly. She hurried over there, next to Merry. He jumped when he saw her but put his finger over his lips and pointed to the Council.

"Where's Sam?" she whispered. Merry pointed to some shrubs not far away. "What's happened so far?" Lara said.

"They were saying that the only way to destroy the Ring is to throw it in the fires of Mount Doom, in Mordor," Merry hurriedly said in a whisper. "The Dwarf right there, his name is Gimli, well he tried to break it with his axe, but the axe split into pieces."

"Wow," Lara said softly.

"Yeah. So now they are arguing about who is going to destroy it, or whether they should keep it. That Man right there-" he pointed to Boromir- "wants to keep it for his city. I don't think Gandalf likes him much...he started chanting at him in the language of Mordor."

"And I missed it!" she moaned regretfully. As she watched, the group all started to stand and shout at each other, except for Frodo, who remained sitting, staring at the Ring on the tree stump. He seemed to come to a decision after a little while, for he stood up.

"I will take it!" Frodo said, his little voice barely heard over the rest of them, but to Lara his voice rang loud and clear.

"No!" Lara hissed.

The babble died down as Gandalf turned, and everyone turned to look at Frodo. "I will take the Ring to Mordor," he said. "Though," he started, much more quietly, "I do not know the way."

"He can't take the Ring to Mordor!" Lara hissed, outraged, more to herself than Merry and Pippin. "He's still healing! Gandalf will never allow it."

But she was wrong. Gandalf offered to help him in his Quest to Mordor. Lara couldn't believe what she was hearing. Fear swallowed her-what if he never came back? She couldn't even allow that thought to cross her head. She had almost lost him once-why was he choosing to go again?

There were now six people standing behind Frodo-Strider, Gandalf, the dwarf Gimli, a blond Elf whom Lara did not recognize, and the man Merry had pointed at earlier. All the sudden, Sam gave a loud shout. "Oi!" he said, leaping up from the shrubs and running over by Frodo. He crossed his arms after skidding to a stop. "Mr. Frodo isn't going anywhere without me!"

"Now it is almost impossible to seperate you two, even if he is summoned to a Secret Council and you are not," Lord Elrond said, and he did not look angry, but amused. Perhaps thats why Merry and Pippin gave a sudden yell as well and ran out of their hiding place.

"What are you-" Lara whispered quickly. She sighed and leapt up to followed them.

"Oi! We're coming too!" Merry said as he, Pippin, and Lara scuttled over and stood by Sam and Frodo as well.

Frodo surprised them all by speaking up suddenly. "No."

They all looked at him. "The Ringbearer does not wish for them to join him?" Lord Elrond said.

He looked at Lara, then away at the ground. "I do not wish Lara to accompany us."

"What?" she said, looking at him in disbelief.

He said nothing, but looked to Gandalf with pleading eyes. "Please, Gandalf," he said quietly. "Make her stay."

Merry spoke up. "Perhaps she _should_ stay."

"Yes," Sam agreed. Lara looked at both of them in disbelief.

"You can't keep me out of this!" Lara said furiously. "Everyone is going, and you want me to just stay home and worry? No way! I'm coming!"

"Lara," Gandalf began, "it is the Ringbearer's choice. And he says you are not to come. So be it."

She looked desperately to Pippin, who looked sympathetic but did not speak up. Merry and Sam did not either, and Frodo would not meet her eyes when she looked to him. She fought back tears. "All right," was all she could say quietly, before she ran to her room.

She was halfway there before she realized that she needed to go see Bilbo. She ran crazily around Rivendell until she saw him, sitting at his favorite bench, and she ran to him and leaped into his old, frail arms. "Lara," he murmured. "What ever is wrong?"

"Oh Bilbo!" she gulped. "Everyone's leaving, everyone is going to Mordor, and they won't let me go! Frodo told them I must stay and everyone except Pippin agreed. Why would they do that to me, Bilbo? My friends?" She started to sob.

"Lara," he said gently, "they would do that to you to protect you. I would not want you going to Mordor myself. So you say Frodo is going?"

"Yes, he's carrying the Ring, so he made the decision that I should stay. It's not fair, Bilbo, it's not fair!"

Bilbo pulled her head back. "My dear," he said, his eyes full of compassion, "he only did it because he cares about your well-being. Greatly. Forgive him."

Lara just sucked in a huge sigh and nodded with a great effort.

XXX

She was sitting in her room that night, reading on the bed when a little knock came from the door. She went to answer it and was surprised to see Frodo standing there, looking awkward. "May I come in?" he asked quietly.

Lara nodded and stepped back. "I have not seen you but at meal times today," Frodo said, looking slightly worried.

"Yes. I've just been reading...and talking with Bilbo."

"We leave tomorrow morning," Frodo said, burning her with his gaze and getting straight to the point.

She looked away. "Oh," she whispered, and before she knew it, she was in Frodo's arms, in a tight hug. She had never been quite this close to Frodo before-she breathed in deeply-he smelled very sweet.

"I am sorry," she heard him murmur in her ear.

Lara refused to cry in front of Frodo-he could not know her disappointment. "It's alright," she said back, voice muffled by his shoulder.

"I did not want you to come-if things...did not go...as planned. It will be too dangerous. It's not that I don't want you there."

"What about you?" Lara said, hardly able to say the words.

"Don't worry," Frodo said, and he pulled back to look at her. "I will be back soon."

His blue gaze forced her to look down, and she felt his lips touch her cheek briefly before his warmth left her and he walked to the door. "I am sorry," he said again. "I will see you tomorrow," he whispered, before he closed the door.

As soon as he shut the door, she hurried over to it and opened it as quietly as she could. She peeked down the Hall; Frodo was walking back to the direction of his bedroom. Lara dashed down the opposite direction, skidding to a halt in front of Pippin's door. She knocked on it twice. "Merry!" she heard him moan. "I was sleeping!" The door swung open to reveal a very tired looking Pippin.

"Lara!" he said, eyes wide. "Come in!"

_He must feel bad_, Lara thought. _He's never this nice when someone wakes him up._

She stood in front of Pippin in his room for a couple moments, and a long silence followed. "Are you okay?" Pippin said finally.

Lara shook her head. "I'm sorry you can't come," Pippin said. "I did not ask for them to keep you here."

"I know."

"Well, there's no reason to worry, I mean-"

"Pippin."

"Yes?"

She looked up at him, took a deep breath, and said slowly, "I need your help."

XXX

Lara did not sleep well that night. She tossed and turned for a long time, and when she finally did start to drift off to sleep, she was awoken by dark dreams. Thus, she was very tired the next morning when she went to have her last breakfast with her friends for a very long time-she tried not to think the word _forever_.

Everyone was rather quiet-perhaps because she was there, or because they were nervous for what lie ahead-or quite possibly both. When the time came to leave, inhabitants of Rivendell stood by the archway entrance, watching silently as the Fellowship readied to set out on their quest. Strider-who Pippin told Lara was actually called Aragorn-was saying goodbye to Arwen, Legolas was with a group of Elves, and Gandalf was murmuring with Lord Elrond.

Lara's four friends came to her. Sam stepped forward and hugged her first, whispering goodbye. The tears began to roll as she whispered goodbye back. Pippin was next-he said nothing, only hugged her and looked at her carefully. She nodded once, and so did he. The plan was still set.

Frodo came, rather uncertainly, but she hugged him tightest, trying to tell him without words that it was fine, and she forgave him for leaving her behind. They hugged for a long time, and finally Lara pulled back; Frodo's eyes had tears in them-not many, but there were some-and they hesitated for a long moment, faces an inch away, looking at each other before Lara shyly stepped back.

Merry was last-he pulled Lara to him with surprising closeness. His head came back, and before she realized what was happening, his lips were on hers. She was so shocked she did not even pull away-but he did not kiss her for long. "Goodbye," he said, very quietly, before stepping back.

Lara blinked a few times and looked at the rest of them-Pippin was smiling ever so slightly. Sam, however, kept glancing at Frodo with worried looks, who was looking firmly at the ground. "It is time," they heard Gandalf's voice say, and the hobbits looked at her once more-except for Frodo, who was still staring at the ground-before going over to Gandalf. Lara saw Lord Elrond and Gandalf's mouths moving, but it did not really register what they were saying. All that registered was them leaving the archway, Frodo and Merry looking back at her one last time, Frodo's eyes slightly clouded.

She waited until the last person had disappeared around the corner, then fled to her room, sobbing as though her heart would break-and perhaps it would.


	10. Meetings

-Reviewers-

**Fiery Dragon164- **certainly am continuing! thx for reviewing again! if you have any suggestions, be sure to let me know! thx!

**ShortHappens- **lol your last review made me laugh...well im glad my last update made your day!! lol, always happy to do that...hopefully you'll like this one too! Hobbit drama, haha...thats funny. you mite be seeing more... ;P lolz

**MotRD- **you'll find out the prank now lol...i can't comment too much on your last review i don't trust myself to not give it away before you read it LOL...anyhoo thx again for your support :)

* * *

**Chapter 10:Meetings**

_Frodo and Sam were lucky to have Lara on their side, and they knew it. Both of them wondered if this fighting (pranks seemed too light a word now) would continue when they got back home to Hobbiton. They hoped not-they would need rest sometime, and they would get none if this continued._

_Lara had devised a plan with their help, but they were still unsure of quite how to do it. They had no bait, no lure-they just had to hope Merry and Pippin would bite a bare hook._

_The three were sitting in Lara's now clean room, their usual meeting place. Lara was busy reading an anxious letter from her parents. The letter had come that morning, and she had realized with some guilt that she had forgotten to write to them while she was here. But she had no time now-they were going home tomorrow._

_It was rather cold outside after lunch, so the three didn't really want to begin phase one of the plan-which involved sneaking outside unseen and into the little shop on the grounds. They managed to make it out unseen, and all was going to plan until they saw Merry and Pippin in the trees. They were on the border of the forest, and they were quite sure that they had not been seen. But, just to be sure, they ducked behind a large pillar._

_After Merry and Pippin had continued on far enough so they wouldn't turn and see the three hobbits, they sprinted to the little shop and wrenched open the door._

_They piled inside and shut it, breathing hard. "What are they doing?" Frodo asked, and Sam and Lara both knew he meant Merry and Pippin._

_"Who knows? Looking for the right tree to hang us on this time?" Lara said sarcastically._

_Sam laughed. "Well, at least we know they're outside. Hopefully..." He did not finish his thought, but the other two finished it for him. It was quiet for a moment._

_"They love climbing things," Lara said reassuringly. "They'll climb it."_

_The boys nodded in agreement, and the three split up to search for the ladder. It didn't take long to find it in the little, damp shop. The problem was, the ladder was large, and they were small. Well, Sam was quite strong, but that was only one of them._

_"Here, let's just get it outside first," Lara said, taking an end. Sam took the other, and Frodo took the middle, and with some difficulty, the trio lugged the ladder outside into the chill November air._

_They set it down for a short break, then carried it again until they reached the side of the Hall. It took them several minutes, but they finally got the ladder set up against the wall, so they were able to climb up to the roof if they wanted to. They stood back to admire their handiwork. After a few quiet seconds, Sam said, "I still don't think they're going to climb it of their own free will. We need to put something interesting at the top."_

_"Like what?" Frodo asked._

_"Well, not food, that would be a bit obvious, don't you think?"_

_Lara and Frodo laughed. "Well," Lara said, "how about something shiny? They're idiots...you know, distracted by shiny objects."_

_Sam looked thoughtful. "You know," he said, "that just might work." His face lit up. "I'll be right back."_

_Lara and Frodo exchanged glances as he took off to the large front doors. He returned in less than two minutes, out of breath, holding up a shiny gold necklace._

_"Sam," Frodo laughed, "a necklace? They're boys, remember?"_

_"But they'll see it and think someone lost it."_

_"On top of a roof?"_

_"Well, they'll be so curious that they'll climb up and get it."_

_"Let's hope so."_

_"Well, it won't hurt to try," Lara said, holding out her hand. "Let's see it. I'll go put it up there."_

_"No way," Frodo said, as Sam dumped the necklace from his big hand into Lara's smaller one. "I will."_

_"Hey! Come on, why not? I want to!" Lara protested._

_"It's...really high up," he said, slowing his words when he realized she had already turned and started climbing. "Lara!" he complained loudly._

_She stopped and looked down at him. "I'll be fine," she said, grinning. "Quit worrying about everything." She started climbing quickly again._

_Sam turned to Frodo and cocked an eyebrow. "'It's really high up?'" he repeated sardonically, looking amused._

_"Shut up," Frodo muttered, glaring at Lara's still climbing figure. She finally made it to the top of the ladder and with a clean tumble, she had made it onto the roof._

_She looked down and grinned at them both._

_"Look at me!" she exclaimed, raising her arms above her head. "Now," she muttered to herself, "where should I put this?" She set it near the end of the ladder. "Can you see it here?" she called down._

_"No!" they yelled._

_She adjusted it a bit. "Here?"_

_"No!"_

_She rolled her eyes. "Are you sure you two aren't blind?" She moved it one more time. "How about here?"_

_"Perfect! You can see just a bit of it, and the sun makes it sparkle!" she heard Sam's voice say._

_Lara's descent down the ladder was faster than her ascent; she jumped the last few rungs to the ground. "Let's move the ladder to the side a little bit," she said. __"That way it's not right by the necklace and they aren't suspicious it was us."_

_"They won't suspect anyways, but alright," Sam said._

_They moved the ladder and once again stood back to look at it. "Looks good," Frodo said approvingly. He looked around. "Now we just have to find somewhere to hide..."_

XXX

_"Hey, Pip."_

_"Yeah, Merry?"_

_"Look at that."_

_"What?"_

_"There's a ladder against the house over there." Merry and Pippin had been trudging back to the house for a good snack when Merry had nudged Pippin. "Do you think someone was working on the roof or something?"_

_"Probably."_

_"It's awfully cold out to be on the roof."_

_"Wait," Pippin said, stopping Merry with his arm. "Do you see that on the roof? It's...sparkling."_

_Merry rolled his eyes. "Please, Pippin."_

_"No, really. Look!" He pointed his cousin in the right direction and Merry's eyes lit up._

_"Let's go see!" Merry said excitedly._

_They approached cautiously; but it turned out to be only a golden necklace. "It's just some necklace," Pippin muttered._

_"So? Let's get it down," Merry said, heading toward the ladder._

_"What would I want some necklace for? I'm a boy."_

_"You sure?" When Pippin stuck his tongue out at him, Merry continued. "Well, maybe somebody wants it back. And this could get us back in my mother's good graces..." He shuddered. Esmeralda had been very angry at her son and his cousin for the past day about the pie; she had even threatened to tell Merry's father and Pippin's parents._

_"Yeah," Pippin said quickly, " maybe it is a good idea to get it down."_

_"It's ok, Pip. I know that you just secretly want the necklace." Before Pippin could reach out to hit him, Merry turned and gracefully started scaling the ladder._

_Pippin grumbled and followed, perhaps not as gracefully, but eventually they made it to the top._

_"You know," Pippin said, looking around, "this is higher than any tree we've climbed."_

_Merry nodded in agreement. "I hope it's not icy." But a few steps by himself and Pippin proved it was not-they walked quickly over and retrieved the necklace._

_"Wonder whose it is?" Merry said, holding it up to examine it, but Pippin was not paying attention._

_"Look!" he said. "The chimney!"_

_Merry was distracted from the necklace. He hurried over and joined his cousin, who was peering down as if trying to see in the room below. "We should climb down it," Merry said._

_"Yeah, that'll really make your mother happy won't it? Appear in the Main Hall, covered in soot?"_

_"Oh yeah..."_

_"Still," Pippin continued, "it would be cool to dress up and go down the chimney-like they say Father Christmas does."_

_Merry laughed. "Can you imagine? Dressing up in a red coat and appearing down there? That would be so funny!"_

_So absorbed were they in their little fantasies that they did not notice the ladder quietly being moved away from the edge of the roof by an unseen source. When they had discussed their share of the chimney, however, they took one final look across the grounds and turned back to the ladder-only it wasn't there._

_They both rushed over to the edge. "What?" Pippin yelped. "Where's the ladder? Did it fall?"_

_"I don't see it on the ground. Maybe someone put it back in the shop."_

_They scanned the ground one more time, but could see no sign of the silver ladder. A gust of wind blew, and they clutched to each other tightly, so as not to fall off the roof._

_"What are you two doing up there?" Their heads snapped up at Lara's voice, which came after a few minutes of standing, utterly bewildered, on the rooftop._

_"We climbed up a ladder to get this-" Merry held up the necklace- "but now it's gone. It didn't fall..."_

_"Well ladders don't just get up and run away on their own," Lara said, smiling sweetly._

_And it hit them. "You!" Pippin sputtered. "You took the ladder away and put that necklace up here!" There were two more shouts of laughter, and Frodo and Sam joined Lara from their hiding place near the shop._

_"It's just too bad the ladder happened to disappear isn't it?" Lara said, her voice as sweet as honey._

_"You wouldn't."_

_"Leave you up there?" Her voice turned hard in an instant. "Watch me. You attacked my room. So this is personal."_

_"You're crazy," Merry said, shaking his head at her, and Frodo glared at him._

_Lara merely smiled. "Maybe I am." She laughed suddenly. "But I'm not the one stuck on a roof, am I? Good day," she said politely, and, laughing, her, Frodo, and Sam walked back inside without a backward glance at the now shivering figures stuck on the roof._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lara was glad, as she crouched by the pillar near her room, that Pippin was the only one of her friends with some real sense. At least he didn't get all gooey on her and complain that she had to stay too. It came in handy to have a friend like Pippin.

She had packed plenty. The day was spent planning her escape-she was sure Elrond already knew she planned to follow the Fellowship, but he said nothing of it. Bilbo too knew, though this was because Lara had told him. He had, reluctantly, helped her pack food and clothes enough for the journey until she reached them.

She still had her dagger that Aragorn had given her at Weathertop-she desperately hoped she would not be needing it, though she saw no reason why she should. If she left that night, she should be able to catch up with them by noon the following day-she moved fast, and there was only one of her. That Dwarf had to hold them up a little bit.

She had to admit, she was scared. But never more ready. She had said her tearful goodbyes to Bilbo earlier, and now had her little knapsack on her back. The hall appeared deserted, so she quickly and quietly stole down it.

This was nothing compared to sneaking around Brandy Hall when she was younger. Though she was good at making her way around without being seen, Lara was still very worried that she would be caught, and after that, guarded, and her chance to follow would be gone. This was way more pressure than she was used to. It was now or never, she knew.

Pippin had played a very large part in this. He had eagerly agreed to help her, and she knew he wanted her along as bad as he wanted Merry there. She pushed her mind away from Merry-she did not like thinking of Frodo's face after seeing her and Merry...

Pippin had left her a trail behind them as the Fellowship continued on their journey. Nothing noticeable, so Gandalf and Aragorn could not notice-just little pieces of paper or debris, he had said, sprinkled on the side of the road. She could only imagine what a pain it was to do this without being caught, and felt a surge of sisterly affection for Pippin.

If she could make it out of Rivendell, she would travel for a good part of the night to gain on them-and reach them during the day so as not to alarm them. She had been thinking of this as she moved quickly down the empty hall, but her ears perked at a small noise and she dropped to her knees and crawled behind a pillar. Hardly daring to breathe, she peeked around it to see two Elves coming through the archway and continue down the Hall the way she had come.

As soon as they were out of hearing range, she breathed a small sigh of relief. That was too close for her liking. She cautiously peered around again, and seeing no one, she continued. Sneaking through Rivendell took a very long time, mostly because of close shaves with Elves that were gliding down the marble halls. Lara had not seen Lord Elrond yet, and hoped he was in his room, or study.

She finally made it outside, and though there were a few Elves mingling around, it was easier to navigate around without being seen out here. She was small, for one thing, and dark-and very, very experienced at staying hidden. She was just starting to get careless as she reached the archway where they had left, when a soft voice carried out from the shadows. "You are the She-Halfling," the voice said, and it was like calming music, the sea.

She turned to see an Elf she had seen many times before; and Elf she knew by name but did not know knew her. It was the Lady Arwen, the Evenstar, Lord Elrond's daughter. Lara knew the game was up, and she fought back tears. She looked into Arwen's beautiful face, willing her to understand, and Arwen looked back. Lara curtsied low. "Lady Arwen," she mumbled.

"Lara, is it not?" Arwen said kindly.

"Yes, ma'am," Lara said, looking to the ground.

"My dear Hobbit lass, where are you heading at this time of the night?"

"I was...erm..."

"You were following the Quest," Arwen said lightly, gazing off as if she had seen the answer in the night sky.

Lara nodded. "Yes...I...have to go. I just have to. Your father-" she choked back her words.

"Yes...your father made you stay behind. He chooses things for me too-but it's only because he wants the best for me."

Lara nodded again, miserably this time. It sounded like she had no hope in Arwen. But she was wrong. "Lara," Arwen continued, "I would have you know that if I could, I would not ask to be seperated from my love either." Lara assumed she meant Aragorn, but it sounded as if she thought Lara had a love as well. Lara frowned, but said nothing. She hoped Arwen was not thinking of Merry.

Arwen continued speaking in her breezy, musical voice. "But you, unlike me, have a choice. I do not want to be the one to take it away from you. Go. But hurry. My father will soon realize you are gone. But never tell him you saw me here."

Lara was taken aback for a long second, then blinked. "Oh, Lady Arwen! Thank you, thank you so much!" she said, resisting the urge to hug her.

Lady Arwen nodded. "Hurry! Good luck to you all!"

With one last grateful look, Lara rushed into the darkness and turned left to follow the trail that Pippin had left for her.

XXX

The night passed uneventfully-unless you count Lara seeing a few animals she had never seen before. One of them was quite large. She had frozen, and the thing, whatever it was-it had antlers-looked at her for a long moment, then turned and ran away. She had not been expecting it to be afraid of her.

She camped on the side of the road, sleeping in a rather secluded area by some bushes, and woke when the first tinge of pink was claiming the horizon. She ate a quick breakfast and continued down the road.

She was surprised to know that she really did not need Pippin's trail all that much. She was able to pick up herself on where the Fellowship had been, and they mostly stayed on the road until she followed Pippin's trail hard left and across many fields.

She hurried along rather quickly for someone who had not gotten a whole lot of sleep, and as she hurried, she pondered. What would Gandalf do when she got there? Would he send her back? She had thought of this earlier and picked up Pippin's trail so she could not follow it back. She hoped that somehow, she could convince them to let her stay. She had spent so much time planning her escape and journey that she had not thought about when she reached her friends.

It was, as she had predicted, a little past noon when she finally spotted them. She saw them from so far away that there was no way they could see her yet-they were sitting and standing around some rocks in the middle of the field; she heard the clangs of swords and could distantly see Merry and Pippin swordfighting. She could not hold back a smirk. She smelled smoke, and assumed they had all stopped to eat, and she could also hear laughter.

She reluctantly pushed her feet forward, and it was Sam that spotted her first. He leaped to his feet and drew his sword, and the others whipped to follow him. All nine of the Fellowship were now standing, staring at her. The silence was crushing her; it finally became so unbearable that she had to speak up. "Um...hi," she said in a small voice.

She refused to look into Frodo's shocked and angry eyes-she looked instead to Pippin, who was pretending to act surprised, and was actually doing quite well at it.

"Lara." Gandalf's voice was deadly, and he looked at her with more anger in his eyes than she had ever seen in them, and she was afraid. He must have seen her quail under his look, because he sighed. "Come," he said, holding out his hand. "Come and have a talk with me."

She grasped his old and wrinkled hand and reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled away from everyone else. "Lara," he began.

She took a deep breath and cut in rather hysterically. He had to understand. "Look Gandalf, I'm so sorry, truly I am! I know I could have been hurt on the way here, or it's too dangerous now, and I wouldn't be too much help on the Quest, but I had to come Gandalf, I just had to! I know you want me to go back, but I can't do that, I have to stay, I-"

"Lara," he said sternly. "I was not going to ask you to leave."

She stopped. "Oh."

"I want you to know how selfish you have been. You realize you might have gotten hurt or worse-captured. What if they had tortured you?"

"I wouldn't tell them anything," Lara said stoutly, crossing her arms.

Gandalf had to chuckle in spite of himself at her face. "I don't suppose you would," he said, but then his tone got sterner again. "That is not the point anyhow."

Lara hung her head. "I understand, Gandalf. I'm sorry."

He stared at her for a long moment thougtfully. "Did you track us?" he asked curiously.

Lara looked up. It would do no good to get Pippin in trouble. "Yes," she said, lying smoothly.

Gandalf did not seem to notice her lie, and looked a little impressed. "Hm," was all he said. "Well, I suppose we can go back to the others. But I must imply once more the seriousness of what you have done in following us."

Lara said nothing, only looked at the ground until she could feel Gandalf's piercing blue eyes leave her face. She followed him slowly back to the little camp where everyone else was sitting, watching them curiously. Well, the Hobbits at least. Everyone else had gone back to what they were doing. Gandalf cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at him. Lara suddenly felt very small under everyone's gaze. She hoped not everyone would be as angry as Gandalf.

She studied their faces. Sam looked surprised-not _too_ surprised, Lara supposed, but that's just because following them was something she would do. Merry's eyebrows were drawn together; he was studying her as if he had never seen her before. Pippin, of course, looked politely surprised, but really was not. Lara looked to Frodo last, and almost flinched. His features showed no understanding; there was only fury, and maybe...hurt?

"Lara will be joining us from now on," Gandalf said in a hard, testy voice. No one said anything for a long while. Lara looked at the rest of the Fellowship. The Dwarf-Gimli-looked almost...pleased. Or perhaps he liked troublemakers and what she had done had amused him. Legolas did not look surprised; he only spared her a glance before searching the skies with his brilliant blue eyes. The man, Boromir-his eyes bored into hers, but he did not look angry. And Aragorn was not looking at her, but at Gandalf.

Finally Gimli chuckled and spoke up in his deep voice. "Welcome aboard, lass! Anyone with enough spirit to follow us is welcome to me! Of course, you could say it was foolishness..." He smiled at her. "You hang around these two don't you?" He jerked his head to Merry and Pippin. "Already driving me crazy, and I've not had two days with them yet..."

Pippin grinned and rolled his eyes at her. Sam and Merry gave small smiles as well; but Frodo's expression remained unchanged. He was now looking at Gandalf, an intense light in his blue eyes. _Probably thinking about how he can get me to leave,_ Lara thought, hurt.

It was a few more moments before everyone went back to what they were doing. They left the Hobbits and Lara standing there awkwardly. She approached slowly so she was standing in front of them, but closer now. There was a long silence. "Um...hi," Lara said again, shyly.

Frodo's lips pursed and Sam glanced nervously at him. Pippin walked forward and clapped her on the back. "Nice that you could join us!" he said sincerely, grinning. He looked to the others as if to tell them to get a move on and talk already.

"Hey, Lara," Sam said, with another look to Frodo.

"Hey," Merry chimed.

She smiled at them weakly, but looked at Frodo, silently willing him not to be so angry. He heaved out a long, gusty sigh. "What were you thinking?" he said quietly. He might as well have been screaming at her.

"I-"

"Do you realize the danger you put yourself in on the way here? And now?"

"Frodo, I-"

"Why would you do that! Why would you make everyone worry-"

"Frodo, mate, lay off," Merry said loudly.

Frodo shot a glare at him and Lara was surprised by the look on his face that he did not snarl. "Stay out of it, Merry," he said in a quiet, yet somehow more deadly voice than it would have been had it been loud. Merry glared at him as well, which made Sam narrow his eyes at Merry.

"Can we just-stop fighting! Please? Everything's fine, just-" Lara tried saying.

Frodo shook his head bitterly, glowered at Merry one last time, and stalked off. Merry watched him leave. "Poor lad, he's just jeal-"

"Merry." Sam's voice was quiet as well, but it had a warning tone to it. He gave Lara an apologetic look, and turned to follow his master.

Suddenly, Lara heard someone say, "What is that?"

She looked up to see a great dark spot in the sky, that seemed to be moving, and glittering in the sun. "Nothing, it's just a whiff of cloud," Gimli said, trying to sound unconcerned.

"It's moving fast," Boromir said warily.

Legolas shouted something, but Lara could not understand what he said. He had been perched on a rock, studying the "whiff of cloud", and it obviously wasn't something good.

"Hide!" Aragorn yelled.

Immediately, all camp activity stopped. Fires were put out, and possessions hiden. The Hobbits, Men, Elf, Dwarf, and Wizard all leaped under rocks, shrubbery-anything they could find. Lara could see through the leaves of the branches she was under-they were birds, cawing loudly and cirling the camp a few times quickly before flying on.

Everyone crawled out, and Gandalf watched them grimly for a few moments. "The passage South is being watched," he said. "We must take the pass of Caradhas!"

Everyone followed his gaze to the huge, threatening mountain, covered in snow.


	11. Snow Days

Reviewers

**MotRD- **LOL i must be very evil...lol jp. i still have to plan this "face-off" as you call it, lol i dont think it will be like that though...but it certainly will have to be addressed, don't you think? lol thx for reviewing :)

**ShortHappens- **smiling is never ridiculous! lol hmm smackdown, interesting theory lol we shall see what will happen...lol! thx! :)

* * *

**Chapter 11: Snow Days**

_Merry and Pippin had eventually been found on the rooftop. A very angry Esmeralda had sought out Frodo, Lara, and Sam afterwards and there was a large "talking-to." She forced a truce to be called, and warned them that if any more pranks reached her ears, she would tell everyone's parents and the friends wouldn't see each other for a month._

_So, as pranks were very fun but seeing each other was more important, the fued ceased when they returned to Hobbiton, and things went back to normal...sort of._

_November passed without much excitement, but it snowed on promptly the first day of December, much to Lara's excitement. She woke up that morning and opened her curtains-her usual routine-but to her surprise and delight she saw thick white snow blanketing the ground, and more falling as she watched._

_She cheered and hurriedly started getting dressed. She flew down the hall to the little kitchen, shouting, "Mother! Father! It's snowing!"_

_Of course, the adults were not as excited as she was about it, but they humored her and used the snow as an excuse to make her eat all of her breakfast. The instant she was done, however, she started putting her things on. Her mother insisted on braiding her hair, and then Lara threw on a hat, heavy coat, gloves and a scarf and ran outside in the freezing cold._

_She headed for her first stop, to pick up Frodo at Bag End. She started running when she was almost to the porch, but then she got a better idea. Ducking low, she hurried over to Frodo's window. Much to her dismay, the blinds were shut. She picked up the powdery snow with some difficulty and threw it at Frodo's window._

_It thumped just loud enough so that he might hear, but after a few moments, there was no answer. She threw another, and finally a third, before he finally opened the shades. He was up and dressed, and was grinning at the sight of her...or perhaps at the snow._

_He was out the door in less than two minutes, dressed in his snow gear and ready to go. "Bye Bilbo!" he called before shutting the bright green door._

_Lara smiled. "Hey! Isn't this great!" She lifted her hands, palms up to the falling snow. _

_Frodo grinned and nodded. "So you came to get me first today, huh?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Well I feel honored."_

_"You should," Lara said, laughing. She stuck out her tongue and started running in the yard._

_"What are you doing?" Frodo asked, laughing at the sight of her. _

_"Trying to catch some snow in my mouth, of course!"_

_Frodo shook his head. "That's impossible."_

_"No! Try it!"_

_They ran around a few moments, tongues out, trying to make the snow stick in their mouths. "I got one! I got one!" Lara shrieked after a while._

_Frodo laughed. "I got one earlier, I just didn't say anything."_

_"Uh huh. Sure."_

_"Really!"_

_Lara laughed. "I believe you. Come on...let's go get everybody else!"_

_Frodo nodded, and the two set off to Sam's hole. Turns out Sam hadn't eaten breakfast yet; the Gaffer promised he would send him out the second he was done after Lara told him where they could be found._

_With some disappointment that Sam could not join them quite yet, Lara and Frodo hurried to Merry's hole. Lara thought it would be best to throw snow at Merry's window too, after the incident with Esmeralda. Frodo agreed, and together they pitched snowballs at it._

_It only took one snowball to attract Merry to the window; and Pippin was there as well. Lara waved them outside, and they nodded eagerly and hastened to put their snow things on, not even bothering to shut the window. Lara sighed and had to turn the other way._

_They soon joined Lara and Frodo, and the four raced off, at first following the trail that carts go on through Hobbiton, then careening on a path of their own when they reached the woods. They stopped, and after catching their breath, decided on a snowball fight._

_A fort was built; and Pippin found a stick. He and Merry put their hands on top of another to determine who got the fort-whoever didn't got to choose who was on their team. Merry won the fort, as his hand was on the very top, and Pippin, grinning, chose Frodo. Lara rolled her eyes. "I don't need you," Pippin said, laughing, after she stuck her tongue out at him._

_"Go!" Merry called, and instantly Lara dashed off the opposite direction, behind a tree, Merry right on her heels. Pippin and Frodo dove behind the wall that was their fort, and the fight began._

_Merry and Lara peeked from behind the tree. There was no launching of snowballs, which made them wary. "They're probably stock-piling a load of snowballs to throw at once," Merry whispered._

_Lara nodded, and said, "Let's climb the tree. We can shoot things at them from there."_

_"It's going to be slippery."_

_"We can do it."_

_With each other's help, the two managed to slip and slide up the tree, and they started grabbing the snow that was on the branches and making snowballs. Lara looked down and saw Pippin peeking around the fort wall, looking confused, and she had to hold back a giggle. _

_She moved her eyes to Frodo, and he was staring right at her. Shoot, she thought, found already. Frodo whispered something to Pippin, and Pippin looked up in time to get a large amount of snow in the face. Merry laughed in triumph and Lara giggled as well._

_The rain of snowballs made it hard for Pippin and Frodo to see, but they did get a few well aimed ones to hit their marks. This went on for a good time until they heard a shout. "Oi! Where is everybody?"_

_"Sam!" Lara exclaimed, and the snowball fight was forgotten as she and Merry scurried down the tree to greet Sam._

_"Samwise, old chum," Pippin said, "What took you so long?"_

_"I had to do some chores as well," Sam grumbled. But then he brightened up. "Where you having a snowball fight?"_

_They nodded. "Let's do something else now," Frodo spoke up, and they all nodded again in agreement. After about an hour of simply frolicking around, making snowmen, and making snow angels, the five friends were sitting trying to think of something to do._

_They were sitting for a very long time, and the cold was starting to get to them. Shivering, Lara said, "Let's just-m-m-move around or something."_

_"I think my toes might fall off," Merry muttered._

_"Hey, I have an idea!" Pippin almost shouted. "Let's go see the pond! I bet it's frozen...we can skate!"_

_The four leaped on this idea, and together, they headed for the same pond where Lara had pretended to fall in earlier that summer._

_Sure enough, when they arrived, they could see that the pond's surface was covered in ice. Pippin hastened over to the side, then stopped. "I hope it's not too thin," he said suddenly._

_"I'll test it," Lara offered. _

_"No!" Frodo said loudly._

_"No," Sam echoed, "I should. I'm heaviest. It wouldn't do any good for you to do it Miss Lara; you're too light."_

_"Yes," Merry added on. "One of the boys should test it."_

_Lara sighed, but Sam ended up being the one to test it. He slowly made his way out to the middle of the pond. When he was at the very middle, he turned and grinned at them, but then seemed to lose his balance and stumbled. _

_Lara screamed, thinking for sure he was falling in, and jumped onto the ice. "Lara!" Frodo and Merry made grabs for her arms, but she paid them no attention; Sam was falling in! She had already gotten near him when she suddenly realized he was still above the surface. He chuckled, and she suddenly flushed redder with embarassment._

_"Coming to save me?" Sam said, amused._

_Lara grinned and nodded. "It looked like you were falling."_

_"Just lost my footing," Sam said, still chuckling. "Whoa!" He slipped again, and bent over trying to balance himself. Lara clutched his arm and together they slid until they were balanced again. They laughed, but then suddenly, there was a loud, deafening crack._

_Their combined weight in the same place seemed to be too much for the thin ice, and with a screech, Lara went toppling in as the ice crumbled below her feet. Sam, thankfully, stayed on the edge, and he yelled for help. Instantly, the three boys were near, spread out so as not to put too much weight in one place._

_They were able to pull her out, and Sam carried her as they all went as fast as they could off the cracking and breaking ice. Pippin almost fell in as well as it cracked under him, but he managed to get his feet over fast enough. The boys made it to shore and didn't have time to marvel over their close escape; Lara seemed to have blacked out. They huddled around her as Sam laid her on the ground._

_"She's freezing," Frodo said, touching her hands and face. "That water was probably so cold. And we were already cold to begin with."_

_"She's alive isn't she?" Pippin said worriedly. Merry felt for a pulse and nodded. _

_"This is all my fault," Sam moaned. "If I wasn't so heavy..."_

_"Sam, don't blame yourself! Let's just hurry and get her somewhere warm before she gets too cold!" Frodo said anxiously._

_The best place they could think of was Bag End. Bilbo wasted no time when they arrived and explained what happened. He started a fire and laid her on the floor by it, and Frodo grabbed some blankets. _

_"I'll go make some tea," Bilbo said when he was finally satisfied that she was warm enough and would be all right. "Call me when she wakes."_

_The boys waited impatiently for her to wake, still worried by her pale cheeks that she wasn't very warm. Finally, however, she blinked slowly and tried to sit up, but Merry pushed her back down. "Lay down," he said. _

_"You took a tumble," Frodo said weakly. "Are you cold still?"_

_She shook her head, though her teeth were chattering. "Liar," Pippin said, laughing._

_Frodo threw a glare in Pippin's direction, and went to go retrieve more blankets, and Bilbo. Bilbo, it turned out, had finished the tea, so he gave Lara a cup to hold in her shaking hands. She sat up and sipped it slowly, and her chattering started to slow, and then cease._

_"I knew the tea would be good to warm you up," Bilbo said cheerfully, though his eyes still looked a little worried. "Are you sure you're all right, Lara dear?"_

_She nodded and held out her hand. "Not shaking anymore." She grinned._

_"Now, children," Bilbo started, and they all groaned inwardly. Here was the lecture. Still, it would be better if it was given by Bilbo and not their parents. "I don't ever want you near the pond or any other water when it's frozen. Lara could have died. I just hope she doesn't get seriously sick," he said, glancing at her, causing the rest to look at her too._

_"I'm fine," she said quietly. "Really."_

_"Do I make myself understood?"_

_The four boys and Lara nodded numbly. They certainly would not be going near ice anytime soon. "Now," Bilbo continued, in a kinder voice now, "How about a story to go with that tea?"_

* * *

The Pass of Caradhras was long and treacherous. The snow was so deep and that even the Men had difficulty plowing through it, making it all the harder for the poor Hobbits. Legolas was the only one who didn't seem to have difficulty; he was walking on top of the snow as if he were as light as a feather.

It did not make it easy for Lara to know the whole time that Frodo was mad at her. He didn't even walk with the rest of the Hobbits in the front, but Gandalf in the back.

She pressed on as hard as she could however, and only stopped when the whole Company suddenly stopped. She turned to see what everyone was looking at, and she saw Boromir holding up the Ring, and Frodo staring at him. Aragorn was clutching Frodo's shoulders, and he too was looking at Boromir.

She could not make out what Boromir was saying; she was too far away-but she glanced at Sam with an uneasy look. He still had the Ring in his hand. After what seemed like eternity, he finally held out the Ring to Frodo, who quickly snatched it back and put it around his neck. She could hear Boromir chuckle, though Aragorn was still glaring at him, and Boromir tousled Frodo's hair and strode on.

Things weren't too eventful for a long while after that; until they were in a brutal snowstorm. Legolas walked on on top of the snow, but things got so bad that the Hobbits eventually had to be carried. Lara's teeth were chattering so hard that she bit her tongue over and over-she didn't have as much fat as everyone else; she got colder much easier.

The going was so slow that every step seemed to take an eternity-she felt someone grasp her hand but couldn't quite make out who it was. She saw a glimpse of blond as Legolas stopped and peered over the cliff, into the coming storm. "There is a fell voice on the air," Legolas said.

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf yelled, and no sooner had the words come out than a shower of boulder rained on the Company. Sam yelled, and everyone got closer to the cliff for cover. She looked at the person still grasping her hand, and it turned out to be Sam.

The boulders hit no one, but Aragorn yelled, "He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf! We must turn back!"

"No!" Gandalf yelled back, over the storm. He turned the direction Legolas had faced and started chanting in a language Lara did not understand, the same language that Saruman was using to curse the mountain.

The only answer he got was more of Saruman's voice, saying incantations. Suddenly, lightning struck the mountain above. Snow rained down like the boulders, but this time, it covered them. Lara dug her way out, coughing and sputtering, and she could see everyone else emerging from the snow as well. She started to shake violently again.

"We must get off the mountain!" Boromir, who was next to her, yelled to Gandalf. "Make for the Gap of Rohan, and take the west road to my city!"

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isenguard," Aragorn contradicted.

"We cannot pass over the mountain. Let us go under it," Gimli said. Lara briefly looked over at Frodo to see him clutching his chest where the Ring was. "Let us go through the mines of Moria," Gimli said, and Lara's attention flew back to the conversation.

Gandalf's face showed something that Lara could not tell; he looked thoughtful, yet fearful at the same time. "Let the Ringbearer decide," he said finally.

Frodo looked up at him, surprised, and Lara's head snapped to Frodo. Which would he choose? Frodo looked back at Sam, as if for advice, but Sam said nothing.

"We cannot stay here!" Boromir shouted. "This will be the death of the Hobbits!"

"Frodo?" Gandalf prompted.

Frodo looked at Merry and Pippin's faces, and finally looked at Lara. He looked at her shivering figure and seemed to make up his mind. "We will go through the Mines," he announced.

"So be it," Gandalf said quietly.

The journey off the mountain was easier than the journey up it; but the snow was still deep and compact, so the Hobbits had to be carried a good distance. When they got to the point where they could walk again, they settled in where they usually walked, Frodo with Gandalf in the back, and the rest of the Hobbits in the front.

"Miss Lara," Sam murmured.

"Yes, Sam?"

"I'm sorry if I frightened you by taking your hand back there. I just know that Mr. Frodo would be so upset if something had happened...I had to make sure you were safe."

Lara smiled reassuringly at him. "Thank you, Sam. You didn't frighten me, it's alright."

"Mr. Frodo isn't angry at you, you know," he said, even more quietly, glancing back at Frodo's walking figure behind them. She must have looked very doubtful, because he continued. "He just doesn't want to see you hurt, that's all," Sam said.

Lara nodded and forced a small smile. She pondered this for a long time; before she knew it they were off the mountain and in the rocky place below. It was not exactly comfortable traveling over and around all the sharp rocks, but it was much better than fighting through a snowstorm. It was a long time before Gimli exclaimed breathlessly, "The Walls...of Moria!"

Lara looked up to see the base of the mountain, and a tall wall of sheer rock. She could see no doorway, and apparently neither could Pippin, because he looked just as confused as she felt. They traveled around the giant, gloomy lake that was next to the walls of Moria. They reached the wall, and they started walking along it, Gimli tapping on it with his axe. She vaguely heard him say something about Dwarf secrets.

Gandalf too was tapping on the walls with his staff. "Yes, Gimli, their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten," he called.

They reached a certain area that Gandalf seemed to think was right. The Company came to a halt, and Frodo accidentally stepped in the water. He gasped and withdrew quickly, looking fearfully at the water. Lara sensed it too-something did not seem right with this lake.

She looked back at Gandalf who was muttering to himself. and rubbing a patch on the wall. "Let's see..." he was saying. "Ithildin," he murmured. "It mirrors only starlight...and moonlight." He turned and looked up at the moon, and instantly the door started to glow.

There were many drawings and inscriptions upon the doors that Lara could neither understand nor read. She looked at Frodo, who had come to stand next to her, and he was gazing curiously at the door as well. Gandalf stepped back, smiling. He seemed satisfied that they had found the way in. "It reads," he said, "the Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter."

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry said loudly.

"Well, it's quite simple. If you are a friend you speak the password, and the doors will open," Gandalf replied. He turned back to the glowing door, pointed his staff, and started chanting again. Merry nodded, impressed, and looked at Pippin, who grinned stupidly back at him. Lara resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

The doors remained still. Frodo looked anxiously at Gandalf, and Sam looked downcast. Gandalf put his staff down for a moment, then rose his hands and started again. Nothing.

"Nothing's happening," Pippin said, stating the obvious. Lara nudged him in the ribs, advising him to shut up.

She could feel Frodo looking at her out of the corner of her eye-she met his gaze. He did not look angry anymore-merely anxious, and she shared a look with him. He looked back at the door, then Gandalf. Perhaps Sam is right, Lara thought. Maybe he isn't as angry as I thought.

Gandalf started to try and shove the door, and Lara knew then that it was hopeless. "I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves," he muttered, "Men, and Orcs," he finished.

"What are you going to do, then?" Pippin asked stupidly, and this time Lara did roll her eyes.

"Knock your head against these doors, Peregrin Took!" Gandalf said sharply. "And if that does not shatter them, then I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions!" His voice got softer. "I will try to find the opening words."

They sat for a long time, Gandalf murmuring words in different languages once in a while. Sam had to get rid of Bill the Pony, which made him sad. Frodo just sat, numbly listening to Gandalf's words, and Merry and Pippin contented themselves with chucking rocks in the water.

Aragorn grabbed Pippin right before he released one. "Do not disturb the water," Lara heard him say, but then her attention turned to Gandalf, who had just sat next to her.

"Oh, it's useless," he grumbled, sitting on the rock with her and Frodo.

Frodo was not looking at him or the water, as Lara was, as it was starting to ripple, but was looking at the door. He stood up suddenly. "It's a riddle," he said, studying the door.

The ripple in the water started to move closer, and Lara was torn between watching that and watching Frodo. "Speak 'friend' and enter," Frodo said. He paused a moment. "What's the Elvish word for friend?" he cried.

"Mellon," Gandalf replied, and at that word the doors started to creep open with loud crunching. Gandalf started laughing in pleasure; everyone immediately stood up and hurried inside.

Lara still stayed rather close to Frodo inside; she didn't like it in this stuffy darkness either. He didn't seem to mind, so she lightly grabbed his sleeve and listened to Gimli. "Soon Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves, he was saying to Legolas. "Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone!"

Gandalf blew on the top of his staff and light started to flicker feebly into the room, getting stronger. "This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin," Gimli continued. "And the call it a mine. A mine!"

Gandalf's light suddenly showed bodies everywhere, up the stairs and all in the room. "This is no mine," Boromir said suddenly. "It's a tomb."

The Hobbits started fidgeting, Sam and Lara gasped as they looked right below their feet at the skelton of a Dwarf there. "No!" Gimli said. "Noo!" he yelled louder.

"Goblins," Legolas said, examining an arrow, then throwing it down again.

Lara started breathing faster, and clutched Frodo's arm instead of his shirt. Frodo seemed frozen in place, until she grabbed his arm. He turned to look at her, panic in his features. Everyone drew their weapons, and Lara's head snapped ahead, but she could see no immediate danger.

"We make for the gap of Rohan," Boromir said. "We should never have come here. Now, get out of here, get out!" he yelled. The Hobbits scurried backwards until they were at the edge where the doors where. Suddenly, Lara felt Frodo's arm leave her hand.

He was being dragged backwards, by a giant tentacle. She screamed for help, and everyone in the Company whipped around.


	12. Moria

**Chapter 12: Moria**

_Yule was finally here! Lara loved the holidays. It was two weeks after the ice incident, and Sam had announced the day before that he was leaving for the holidays. Lara was sad to see him go, but gladly Merry, Pippin, and Frodo would still be here._

_"Lara!" _

_Lara groaned. Her mother was calling her from the kitchen, interruping her thoughts._

_"Yes?" Lara came padding down the hallway, still in her nightdress._

_"Lara, haven't you gotten dressed yet? Your friend is here."_

_"Which one?"_

_"Frodo."_

_"Be right back!" Lara raced down the hallway and hurriedly threw on some warm clothes. She came out to see Frodo sitting on her couch, his cheeks pink with cold._

_"Hi, Lara!" He grinned. "Want to come to Bag End for a while?"_

_"Are Merry and Pippin going to be there?"_

_"I was going to go get them, yes."_

_Lara turned to her mother with pleading eyes. Her mother sighed. "Come home before supper, please."_

_"Okay! Bye!"_

_Her and Frodo turned and walked quickly out the door. Once outside, Frodo turned and grinned at her. "So," he started, "Bilbo and I got to thinking that we would have everyone over tomorrow night-the night before Yule."_

_"Who is everyone?"_

_"A whole bunch of people. Mostly relatives."_

_"Really? So it's like a party?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Great!"_

_They continued on in silence for a while, until they got to Merry's hole and he wasn't there-his mother said he had gone somewhere. "Odd," Frodo said, eyebrows drawn._

_"Do you think they came to get us?" Lara asked._

_"I don't know..."_

_"Let's go check for Pippin."_

_But when they got to Pippin's hole, he was also strangely absent. "I wonder where they could be," Lara said._

_"Eating somewhere, no doubt," Frodo said. Suddenly, Lara felt herself get tackled down from behind. And, as if that weren't enough, her attacker sat on her and pressed her head into the snow. Sputtering, she looked up to see Frodo's face also covered in snow, and Merry and Pippin, grinning like the devils they were._

_"Did you tackle her too?" Frodo asked furiously to Merry, gesturing to Lara._

_"No, that was Pippin's job."_

_Lara looked to Pippin, eyes glinting, and for a second, his smile faltered. But he seemed to gain his confidence up again and said, "Yep, that was me. How did you like that Lara?"_

_Lara didn't say anything, just gave him a look of death. "She is a girl, you know," Frodo said to Pippin. "Maybe you shouldn't be so rough."_

_"Ha!" Pippin said. "I wasn't-"_

_But his words never came out, because he found himself with Lara on top of him, scratching and punching. "Ah! Easy...hey, what are you-OUCH!"_

_Merry soon put poor Pippin out of his misery, though Pippin claimed that he had the upper hand and was just being courteous, and letting her win. Frodo interrupted Lara's retort quickly. "Come on, let's go to Bag End now," he said._

_XXXXXXXXXXXX_

_After going to Bag End, Bilbo gave the youngsters each formal little letters to give to their parents-saying that, if it suited them, they could join him at Bag End with the children for a Yule dinner._

_Lara ran home to give it to her parents, and at first was afraid they wouldn't want to go-but to her delight, they seemed eager to go visit with old Bilbo Baggins, and it was decided that they would go. She ran outside to her waiting friends to announce the news, and after a trip to every parent, there was officially a party going on at Bag End tomorrow night._

_Lara had an extremely hard time sleeping that night. She was excited, first of all, and a little nervous about what Merry and Pippin had up their sleeves-for it was sure to be something. So, as she lay there, she tried to formulate plans, and it was a while before she finally fell asleep._

_XXXXXXXXXXXX_

_"Ouch, Pippin!"_

_"Sorry, Frodo!"_

_"It's fine, but that's the third time that you have hit me with that banner!"_

_The three boys were at Bag End, setting up decorations at Bilbo's request. They had boxes of things to sort through-banners, lights, mistletoe, and various other objects to put around the house-but they weren't getting very far._

_After the tenth time at failing to gather the courage to climb up the ladder, Frodo burst out, "And why exactly is Lara not here helping us? She's the only one that could climb this ladder well enough."_

_"Because, we are going to surprise her under the mistletoe." Merry and Pippin snickered._

_Frodo frowned. "What?"_

_"We're going to get her trapped under there with one of our cousins, in front of everybody. Then she has to kiss him," Pippin explained._

_"Yes, I know the rules of mistletoe," Frodo said testily._

_Merry grinned stupidly. "It's going to be great!"_

_Frodo rolled his eyes. "You know it's not going to work, right? I mean, she'll just run away."_

_Merry and Pippin looked thoughtful. Suddenly, Pippin's face lit into a very slow grin. "You know," he said to Frodo, "maybe she wouldn't mind so much if it was you under there, dear cousin."_

_"We know you wouldn't! mind" Merry said loudly, and he and Pippin burst out laughing._

_"Oh, very funny," Frodo said crossly. "You two are ridiculous."_

_"Well, let's just stick with the cousin," Pippin said happily. "We don't want Frodo mad at us as well." He started to laugh again. "Although I would love to see it!"_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_Lara's mother reached out a hand shaking with cold and knocked on the green door of Bag End. They were finally here, after a very long day for Lara. But when Bilbo opened the door and ushered them inside, there were a lot more hobbits here then she had originally thought. How am I ever going to find my friends in this? she thought, looking around._

_The hole looked great-there were lights and streamers everywhere, and the whole place seemed to glitter. Everywhere she looked, there were groups of adult hobbits chatting, or children her age running around, but none of them were Merry, Pippin, or Frodo. After checking the food table and the kitchen, she was bewildered, as she had not gotten a glimpse of them._

_And suddenly, there they were, standing in a group of hobbits their age. She made her way over to them, suddenly shy. "Hello," she whispered quietly in Frodo's ear, knowing he would not loudly announce her presence._

_He turned and smiled. "Hello," he said._

_"Lara!" Merry said loudly. "You're here!" Lara groaned inwardly as all the hobbits in the group looked at her. Introductions went around, and Lara nodded and smiled to everyone in turn._

_"Come on," Frodo said, "let's go get something to drink." _

_Thank you, Lara thought fervently._

_"We'll be right there!" Pippin called after them as they hurried away._

_"I thought you looked uncomfortable," Frodo said as soon as they were at the drink table. "I figured I'd help you escape." He grinned._

_"Yeah, thanks."_

_"Hey, Lara, do you like the decorations?"_

_She turned to see Merry and Pippin heading for them. "Thanks a lot," she hissed to Merry, "for announcing I was there like that."_

_Merry looked surprised. "I didn't know you would care."_

_"She doesn't like meeting new people all that much," Frodo explained, and Lara looked at him in surprise. She had never told him that. How did he know?_

_"You never answered my question," Pippin said. "Do you like the decorations?"_

_"Yes," Lara said, looking around. "They're great."_

_Pippin puffed out his chest proudly. "That was me-with a little bit of help from Merry and Frodo. Only a little, though."_

_"Oh, please," Merry said, "I did all the work."_

_Pippin looked at Frodo, a gleam in his eye. "Frodo likes the decorations, don't you Frodo?" _

_Frodo pursed his lips. Lara was completely lost, but she figured she was probably better off not knowing._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Strider!" Sam yelled.

Lara bounded after Frodo, screaming his name and trying to put her hand on the tentacle, and Sam raced alongside her. Her and Pippin grabbed Frodo's arms, and Sam attacked the tentacle with his blade. "Get off him!" he was saying as he chopped at it.

Sam succeeded in cutting off part of the tentacle, and it recoiled. The hobbits quickly withdrew, Frodo inching along the ground. Then, like a bullet, a dozen tentacles launched themselves out of the water in the same instant, knocking the others out of the way and grabbing Frodo. Frodo hung by his leg, yelling, in the air.

"Sam, why is it only going for him?" Lara yelled desperately as Sam shot past her.

"The Ring, Miss Lara, the Ring!" was all Sam said over his shoulder as he ran.

The rest of the Fellowship was now out battling the various tentacles, Aragorn and Boromir sword-fighting and wrestling with them, and Legolas shooting bows with perfect aim from the cave-mouth. The head of the monstrous thing finally appeared, and Frodo was yelling as if he was on fire; the mouth of it started to open-

"Go!" Lara screamed at no one in particular.

Boromir delayed the thing for half a second by cutting a tentacle; long enough for Aragorn to find the one with Frodo and cut it swiftly off. Frodo, still yelling, was flying down, cape hurtling behind him. Boromir caught him at the same time that Gandalf bellowed, "Into the mines!"

Better assured that Frodo was all right, Lara wasted no time in following the other three hobbits into the cave as fast as she could go. Aragorn, and Boromir carrying Frodo were coming from behind. "Legolas!" she heard Boromir yell, and she caught a glimpse of Legolas shooting his bow-she almost missed it, it was so fast. The bow must have hit it's mark because she heard the monster roar in agony.

Boromir set Frodo down as the monster fell back, and everyone dashed into the cave. The thing was creeping out of the water now, extending its tentacles-they were inside now-and now the thing was pulling on the cave entrance, the walls collapsing around them as they ran deeper into the darkness.

Everyone stopped, the Hobbits huddled together, and turned to watch as the door gave in. An then, there was pitch black. For a moment, there was nothing except for everyone's ragged breathing. The tip of Gandalf's staff was lit, and light flooded the room. "We now have but one choice," Gandalf said to them grimly. "We must face the long, dark, Moria. Be on your guard. There are older, and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world."

They started to move forward through the vast tunnels and stairways. "Quietly now," Gandalf said. "It's a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope our presence may not go unnoticed."

XXXXXXXXXX

Lara had thought the swamp was bad when they were with Aragorn. But this was so much worse. The place was dark, and tedious. The days seemed to drag, and the stairways they had to climb-sometimes on their hands and feet, were littered with skeletons. She felt as if she were going to suffocate on the air at any moment.

They finally got to a place with three doorways, and Lara thought that perhaps they were getting close now-she was losing track of time. But to her dismay, Gandalf had forgotten where they were. The Fellowship sat down to wait and rest while Gandalf recovered his memory. Trying very hard not to listen to Merry and Pippin complaining that they were hungry, Lara let her attention drift to the rest of the Fellowship.

Frodo was sitting, alone, on a rock, looking like he was not paying any attention to his surroundings. She gritted her teeth and went over to sit by him. "Hello," she said quietly.

"Hello," he replied, in a murmur. It was quiet for a long moment. "Are you all right?" he finally asked, turning to look at her.

She pretended to think a moment, then laughed a little. "Define all right."

He barely smiled. "I mean from that thing with the tentacles."

"It was you that it attacked, not me."

Frodo shook his head, and muttered something that sounded very much like 'stubborn.' He glanced over his shoulder, peeked at Lara, and frowned.

"What?" Lara said, who did not miss this. She looked too. Merry was whispering to Pippin; he glanced her way, looking away quickly when he saw she was looking.

Lara looked at Frodo's face again, not quite understanding what she was seeing. He looked very deep in thought, and troubled. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

He turned to look at her, and stared for a long time. He glanced back over his shoulder at Merry again. "Are-" he stopped and lowered his voice. "Are you..." He seemed unsure of how to continue.

"Am I what?" she asked impatiently.

"Are-are you and Merry..." he trailed off, but Lara immediately knew what he was talking about, surprised he would bring it up.

"Oh! No! No, no no. Where would you-" she stopped, because she actually knew where he would get an idea like that. "No," she said again, firmly.

He looked at her again. "Oh," was all he said.

"Lara!"

"Psst! Hey!"

She turned around to see Merry and Pippin hissing at her. "What?" she mouthed.

They waved her to them. She looked back at Frodo, and he was turning around from watching them too. "You'd better go see what they want," he said, rather bitterly.

"Um...okay," she said uncertainly, and got up to go sit by them.

"What, you guys?" she said, sitting down.

"We just wanted you to sit by us," Merry said.

Lara didn't look at him. "Oh," she said. For the next few moments, the only change that took place in the Company was that Frodo went over and talked to Gandalf.

"Oh!" Gandalf suddenly said, and everyone's heads snapped over to him. He stood up, Frodo following. "It's that way," Gandalf said, pointing to the middle door.

"He's remembered," Merry said, taking out his pipe and getting up.

"No," Gandalf said pleasantly,as they made their way down some stairs into the doorway. "But the air doesn't smell so foul down here. When in doubt, young Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX


	13. The Tomb Room

**a/n- Yeah...I'm back... :S (That's my guilty face...sorry...) I hope you can still find it in you to review....please...that would be amazing. I love you all, and I hope I don't ever stop writing a story for that long again. Writer's block sucks, but I haven't given up yet! I'll still reply to my reviews even though you probably don't remember what you said last time...lol....**

~Reviewers~

**Sable Cygnus- **Well, thank you for taking the time to review, and I do appreciate your comments very much. I agree, it is very cliche, the whole 10th member thing that is...but I mostly wrote this story for kicks and giggles. Anyways, thanks again for your words.

**ShortHappens- **I'm so very sorry about taking a million years for this! I'm hoping to update very frequently now! Please review again, it would make my day. If you wouldn't I don't blame you...I was a jerk for not updating :S Lol.

**Remus san- **Hey! New reviewer, thanks for taking the time to let me know what you think! I hope you keep reading and reviewing!

**

* * *

****Chapter 13: The Tomb Room**

_The festivities went on well into the night. As Lara looked around, she realized that the Hobbits were nowhere close to going home. More and more people seemed to find out about a party at Bag End, and many uninvited people turned up, until half the Shire was probably there._

_She glanced over her shoulder. Merry and Pippin had been following her relentlessly all night, like a couple of watch dogs. They kept trying to introduce her to cousins, and what was more, male cousins. She had been desperately avoiding them, but somehow, Frodo had been missing all night as well._

_It was getting stuffy in the house. Lara poked her way into the crowded kitchen, where a group of Hobbit lads in their tweens were crowded around two other lads, encouraging them to chug their drink. Lara hurriedly escaped, slipping through the door that led outside before it got too rowdy in the kitchen. She was in the dark yard now, and it was refreshingly empty and cooler outside. She looked up at the twinkling stars, sighing in content._

_When she noticed a lone figure sitting near a tree by the edge of the grass, their back to her, at first she didn't recognize them. Then she saw the curls were black, and, guessing it was Frodo, she walked up behind him. If he heard her coming, he did not signal it, just continued sitting and gazing off into the night. She sat down quietly next to him, and it was still for a few moments before he finally turned to her. "Hello," he said quietly._

_"Hello," she said. "You looked awfully lonely out here."_

_He shrugged. "It was getting too loud in the house. I wanted some peace and quiet..." He trailed off, staring off once more. Then he glanced at her. "Did you escape from Merry and Pippin?"_

_Lara laughed. "For now. They're following me around with their cousins."_

_Frodo made an irritated noise in his throat. "Yes, I know."_

_Lara didn't comment, or ask what he knew, because she was pretty sure she didn't want to know. She took a deep breath. "You know...you're different from the other lads."_

_His head snapped over to her, and his eyes were curious. "What do you mean?"_

_"I meant Merry, Pippin, and Sam. I'm friends with all of you. I've known Merry and Pippin the longest, but we fight all the time, like brothers and sister. Sam...well I've never been extremely close with Sam as the others, but he's extremely polite. And you...I don't know, it's like a brother...but different. I can tell you anything. Not like Merry and Pippin. You don't have to joke around all the time."_

_Frodo's eyebrows were raised, as if he wasn't expecting her to say any of that. Lara was quite unsure as to why she suddenly felt as if she should tell him this. It just seemed right. He nodded in understanding, but didn't comment. The two sat in companiable silence until they heard a voice call, "Lara!"_

_Lara and Frodo both turned around to see Lara's mother and father standing in the doorway. Off in the distance, on the path in front of the house, Lara could make out Hobbits stumbling their way home. She glanced at Frodo apologetically. "I suppose I'd better be going," she said, standing up. "See you later!"_

_"Goodbye," Frodo murmured, and Lara headed off to where her parents were standing. Her parents led her around the house towards the path, rather than through it, for which Lara was glad._

_"Which one was the lad you were sitting by?" her mother inquired, as soon as the trio were walking down the path on the way to their home._

_"Frodo," Lara said, suddenly wary._

_"Is that Bilbo's heir?" her father asked curiously._

_"Yes."_

_"Ah, yes," her mother remembered. "He was leaving the house earlier to go outside. I gathered that he wanted some peace and quiet." She peeked at her daughter. "Handsome lad. Extremely handsome, for a hobbit."_

_Lara didn't answer, just looked straight ahead, hoping they would stop the talk of this immediately. "You're fond of this Frodo?" her father asked, and she looked up to see the wide smile on his face._

_"Oh, Father please!" she exclaimed. "Of course I am, but I'm fond of Merry, Pippin, and Sam as well. They are all my friends!"_

_"Dear, we just worry about you. Perhaps you should find some more lasses your age? Lads are hardly suitable to be friends with for a lass, especially as you get older."_

_"Lads are good friends," Lara said in a steely tone. She was glad when they finally made it back to her house, and her parents couldn't interrogate her anymore on the subject._

* * *

The first thing the Company saw when they emerged from the tunnel Gandalf had led them through was nothing. And then, Gandalf muttered, "Let me risk a little more light..." His tone indicated he was pleased with something. And then he lit his staff, and Lara saw it.

There was a general intake of breath as the Company took in the majestic and vast pillars that had once been a city. Gandalf said, "Behold...the great realm and Dwarf-city of Dwarrowdelf."

Merry and Pippin stood stupidly with their eyes open; Frodo's expression was calm, as if he was only politely interested. Sam muttered, "There's an eye opener and no mistake." It was like a giant hallway, immense, and Lara felt it might take days to walk to the other side of it. But they had not gone far when there was a door on their right, and it looked a little lighter inside. Gimli made a small noise of distress, and took off, past all the dead dwarfs lying on the floor. "Gimli!" Gandalf called, but Gimli paid him no attention.

The Fellowship hastened to follow him inside. Lara could hear him crying, and saying, "No, no, no," over and over again. When they reached the room, they found him crouched beside an enormous tombstone, where a shaft of light was pouring down onto it from above. The hobbits looked around uneasily.

Gandalf read the tombstone. "Here lies Balin...son of Fundin. Lord of Moria." Gandalf looked up and around, taking off his hat and sighing. "He is dead, then. It is as I feared." Gandalf handed his hat and staff to Pippin, who was standing nearby. Noticing a skeleton on the ground next to the tomb that was holding a book, Gandalf carefully picked up the book and blew it off to remove the dust. He opened the ancient, dusty pages that looked in danger of falling out, and began to read the language Lara could not understand.

She vaguely heard Legolas mutter something urgently to Aragorn, but she focused her attention on Gandalf as he began to read. "They have taken the Bridge, and the Second Hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums, drums in the deep." Gandalf glanced up at them all and flipped the page. Lara hadn't realized she was gripping Frodo's arm until now; she didn't have time to think long about it, for Gandalf began again.

"We cannot get out. A Shadow moves in the deep. We cannot get out. They are coming." Frodo let out the smallest gasp, either from fear or from lack of circulation, Lara did not know. Or maybe it was because he saw Pippin touching the skeleton perched on top of the shaft, and was anticipating the loud clang! that erupted when its head fell down. Gandalf whipped around, and so did Pippin to face him, looking extremely guilty. But it wasn't over yet; the rest of the skelton, including all of its armor and chains, followed down noisily, announcing the Company's presence in the room.

Pippin grimaced, waiting for the explosion from Gandalf. Lara had to admit, this was one of the stupidest things yet. But she couldn't bring herself to be mad at him; not after he had helped her so much. And plus, Merry and Frodo were both acting strange-Pippin was one of her only friends who, in her opinion, hadn't lost his mind. So all she felt was pity for Pippin as Gandalf swooped on him, grabbing his things from Pippin's shaking hands. "Fool of a Took!" Gandalf said. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" he snarled. There was a very long, awkward silence.

And then, the sound of a single bong on a drum.

The Fellowship all looked in horror at the shaft as the drums continued to sound, and suddenly, shrieks and noises were heard from everywhere; from down the shaft, and the hallway. Although the Fellowship didn't know it yet, lights were turning on everywhere.

Moria had awakened.

Lara and Frodo shared one look of mute horror. _Drums, drums in the deep. _Were they doomed to the same fate as the dwarf in the tomb?

"Frodo!" Sam whispered urgently, glancing at his belt. Frodo pulled out Sting, the sword Bilbo had given him, and sure enough, it was glowing blue.

Legolas confirmed their fears. "Orcs!" he hissed. Boromir immediately dashed over to the door, and looked down the hall. Lara watched him throw his head back as arrows pierced into the door, and the shriekings grew louder. Gandalf began ushering the four hobbits back, behind the tomb. "Get back!" Aragorn was shouting. "Stay close to Gandalf!"

Lara couldn't see much, being smaller than everyone else, but she could hear; and what she heard next made her racing heart thud against her ribs, hard. It was a roar, clearly not an Orc. Something bigger, and much, much more frightening. Boromir and Aragorn shut the door, and Boromir said, "They have a cave-troll." Legolas threw axes to Boromir and Aragorn, who blocked the door with inhuman speed and skill.

Gimli clambered up on top of the tomb, and Gandalf and the rest of the men drew their swords. Legolas took out his bow. Following Gandalf's lead, the five Hobbits drew their swords, Frodo's still glowing blue. Gimli growled. "Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!" They stood, waiting, as the door rattled more and more. The axes wouldn't hold much longer...

Legolas suddenly shot a well-aimed arrow through one of the pieces knocked out of the door. A loud squeal told them all he had found his mark. He got another bow ready at lightning speed. Aragorn also shot one, and then, suddenly, the door burst down.

The orcs were the ugliest thing Lara had seen, but she didn't have long to ponder that. The first few orcs were taken down with arrows by Legolas and Aragorn. Boromir dashed headlong without fear, straight into the rushing crowd of them. Gimli stood on top of the tomb, fighting with his axe. Suddenly, Gandalf held up his sword and dashed forward with a yell. Pippin was the first to follow, and in the Hobbits went, yelling with their tiny swords.

Lara rushed forward, met with a crowd of orcs. Merry stood in front of her, and one came their way. She stepped forward, but she felt a hand yank her back, and Merry stuck the orc. She turned and glared at Frodo, who was gripping her arm. Time stood still for a moment, because just then, the largest thing Lara had ever seen entered the room. It's head almost hit the cavernous ceiling, and it was brandishing a large club.

One of the orcs held it with a chain. Legolas immediately shot an arrow at it, but that seemed to do nothing more than make the troll angry. It held up the club and swung down violently, not really seeing, and narrowly missing Sam, who dove under the trolls legs. Aragorn and Legolas gained control of the chains and pulled it away from Sam, who was cowered in the corner. Another orc came running towards the rest of the hobbits, and it was Pippin this time that threw his sword at it. "Nice one, Pip," Merry called.

Lara could barely see Sam on the other side of the room, but he seemed to be hitting the orcs with his frying pans. She fought the strange urge to laugh. She saw another five or so dashing towards him, and yanking herself out of Frodo's grip, she launched herself across the room, leaped over the now demolished tomb, and used her speed to get to Sam. "NO!" she heard Frodo yell, but Merry and Pippin dragged him off behind a pillar. Frodo couldn't risk himself-not with the Ring.

Lara felt the troll move towards her, but Legolas shot two arrows at it's neck, and it staggered off balance. She dodged swords and ducked until finally, waving her sword madly, she got to Sam. She lept forward and thrust her sword into one's back that was just about to get Sam, as he was turned the other way. Sam turned and saw Lara, his mouth forming a little 'o' in surprise. "Miss Lara!" he shouted.

"Sam, we've got to move!" she cried.

Another stepped forward, and Lara dove out of the way. Sam whacked it with his frying pan. "I think I'm getting the hang of this!" he said in amazement, more to himself than to Lara.

Lara surveyed the room, just in time to see Merry and Pippin throwing rocks at the troll. Her eyes continued, and she gasped in mute horror. Aragorn was down, and Frodo was shaking him frantically, trying to wake him up. Lara's heart stopped when the troll launched it's spear at Frodo. He ducked, and it barely missed Frodo, hitting the rock instead. But now Frodo was trapped in the corner.

It all happened so fast, yet it seemed to go in slow motion also. For once, Lara couldn't move; she was rooted to the spot, unable to think, sure she was suffering from paralysis, hoping she was trapped in a terrible nightmare, because the troll had just stabbed Frodo right below his chest, and Frodo was now lying on the ground. "Frodo!" Sam called, his voice weak.

Merry and Pippin did something then that was both very brave and very stupid. They leaped desperately onto the trolls back, hoping to at least distract it from Frodo, stabbing it's neck fervently. Legolas and Aragorn were still absorbed with killing the troll. Every orc was dead, and Gandalf was frozen, watching Frodo. "Frodo!" Sam's voice was yelling now, and he started to run forward, and Lara noticed that he was starting to spin. She felt the hard rock of the ground beneath her knees, and then the palms of her hands, and then it was pressed against the skin of her cheek. Everything went black, and she knew no more.


	14. An Enchanted Wood

**Reviewers:**

**ShortHappens- **hahaha i was laughing so hard at your review. it's good to know i have you to faithfully review even though i take so long on this story lol. :) thanks again, i hope you enjoy this chappie! (not a whole lot of Frodo/Lara stuff tho...sorry! It will get better though...

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**Chapter 14: An Enchanted Wood**

_"Thanks for the tea and stories, Bilbo!" Lara grinned at the elderly Hobbit before departing alongside Merry and Pippin. The five friends had spent most of the morning and all of the afternoon at Bag End with Bilbo, something it seemed they hadn't done in quite awhile. Of course, not all of that time had been spent on stories and tea-Bilbo had promised the youngsters cookies if they helped him clean up after last night's party._

_Of course, Merry and Pippin had eagerly agreed. Once Bag End was spotless, the five young Hobbits and Bilbo spent a cozy afternoon by the fire. Lara was feeling so full and content that she was almost too lazy to walk home._

_Merry and Pippin walked her home, and she waved goodbye to them jubilantly as they disappeared down the path. However, since she had been gone all day, her mother was sure to have chores for her. Lara sighed, and walked in the living room, half hoping to sneak back to her bedroom without them noticing. Her mother and father, however, were sitting on the couch facing the door, and smiled at her. "Hello, dear," her mother said. "How was Bag End?"_

_"Fun. We helped clean, so Bilbo gave us cookies."_

_Her mother and father exchanged a glance, and her father gestured to the armchair across from them. "Can you sit down, please? We have some wonderful and important news to tell you."_

_Lara glanced at both of them to see if they were lying about the 'wonderful' part; but they were both smiling radiantly. "What is the news?" she asked cautiously, sitting down where her father indicated. Her mother and father glanced at each other again before her father spoke up._

_"Lara, you are going to have a brother or sister. Your mother and I are expecting a baby."_

_"A b-a baby?" she stuttered, unsure she had heard them correctly._

_"That's right," her mother encouraged, smiling at her._

_"But-but when?"_

_"Oh, in about six months. So, around June."_

_Six months. Six months was so...soon. Lara's head was swirling, and she was still unsure she had heard them right. A baby? But they didn't need a baby! They had her, right? Was she too old now? Not cuddly enough for them? She stood up suddenly, and her mother looked alarmed. "Lara?" she asked._

_"I-I don't want a brother or sister," she said, and began to cry. The shock was overwhelming, and Lara's head felt a mess. She wanted to go to her room; better yet, she wanted to get out of the house._

_"Lara, dear, we know it's a big shock, but don't forget we will always love you exactly the same. This doesn't change anything." Her mother looked to Lara's father for support. They were obviously upset by how the news had affected her. "And now you will have someone to play with!"_

_"I already have friends to play with," Lara said. "I want to go to my room."_

_"I don't think-" her mother began, but her father cut her off. He nodded at Lara._

_"Take some time to sort it out in your head," he said kindly. "And come talk to us when you are ready."_

_Frankly, in Lara's book, she didn't think she would ever be ready. But she followed her father's advice, and practically ran back to her room. June. It was so soon. Lara had never been particularly attracted to babies, anyways. They cried too much, needed constant attention, and threw up on you in return for that attention. Not appealing. Lara flopped down on her bed, but no sooner had she done so than she stood up again._

_Carefully, she opened her window and proceeded to climb out of it. After shutting it quietly, she took off down the road. She was in such a hurry that it didn't take long for her to reach her destination. She ran up, and knocked on the front door of Bag End._

_It was Bilbo who answered, and he took in her disheveled appearance, from the frazzled look in her eyes, to the tear tracts on her cheeks, and her red-rimmed eyes. "Come in, my dear," he said kindly, and stepped back to allow her entry. He put his hand on her back, and gently led her to the sitting room, where Frodo was in an armchair, reading. He took one look at her and leaped up. "I will be in the kitchen, making tea," Bilbo said, leaving._

_"Lara! What happened, what's wrong?" Frodo asked frantically, rushing over. When someone feels sorry for you, it's hard not to cry. His concern had Lara tearing up, and a few spilled over onto her cheeks. Frodo took her hand, and led her to sit down on the couch. Putting an arm around her shoulders, he asked again, "What is it, Lara?"_

_Bilbo returned with a tray, and set it on the small table in front of them. He sat down across the room and waited to hear her story patiently. "Oh-it's nothing, I just..." she began, suddenly feeling as if she were overreacting to the whole thing. Frodo and Bilbo waited. "My parents are having a baby," she muttered, staring at the ground._

_"And you don't want a brother or sister?" Bilbo asked understandingly. Lara felt Frodo's hand squeeze her shoulder. She nodded glumly._

_"Well my dear, I know you may feel like it now, but I'm sure that you will be very partial to the child once it is born. It's hard to resist babies you know." She must have had a look of distaste on her face, because Bilbo chuckled. "I felt the same way as you when I was younger. But I had a younger cousin born and was sure I would dislike him-but I ended up liking him very much." He stared off into space, perhaps remembering the cousin, and Lara felt a tiny bit better._

_She stayed with Bilbo and Frodo for a little while longer, before finally heading home. She hadn't been gone for too long, and it seemed her parents hadn't even noticed her absence, for when she went into the kitchen, they just smiled at her, gave her a hug, and told her everything would be all right. She apologized for her behavior, but her mother assured her it was perfectly normal._

_And so, when Lara was ready to go to bed that night, she was happy. After bading her parents goodnight, and had crawled into bed, she felt much better. That is, until she heard a sharp tap at her window. She knew that sound. "I swear, if Merry and Pippin think it would be funny to wake me up..." she grumbled, walking over to her window and throwing it open. In the darkness, she could barely make out Frodo. "Frodo?" she asked incredulously._

_"Lara," he breathed, "Are you all right?"_

_"Y-yes, I'm fine...what are you doing here?"_

_"I just wanted to check on you," he replied in a low voice, shuffling his feet. "You seemed pretty upset today, that's all." He wouldn't meet her eyes._

_Lara smiled warmly. "I'm doing much better. Thank you, Frodo. I'm glad I have a friend like you." His eyes flashed up for a moment at her words-she detected happiness, and a slight edge of disappointment._

_"I'd better be getting home," he muttered. "Goodnight, Lara."_

_"Goodnight!" she whispered loudly after him, as he started walking off down the path. She didn't stop watching and close the window until he was completely out of sight._

* * *

Lara felt herself regain consciousness, but for some reason, she was unable to open her eyes. Confused, she tried to pry them open, but try as she might, they wouldn't open. It was as if her eyelids were glued shut. She was starting to hear things, but only dull noises. Frightened, she tried to remember what had happened to her.

The last thing she remembered was falling to the ground after Frodo had been stabbed. Frodo! Lara used all of her energy to open her mouth and form a single word. "Frodo," she mumbled, trying to ask where he was and if he was still alive.

"Did she say my name?" Suddenly, her hearing was quite clear, and she could hear rushing water, along with Frodo's voice. It was pained, but now a bit relieved. Oh, no. If Frodo was all she could hear, then surely she must be dead. They were both dead. But if she was dead, then why couldn't she see anything? Were Merry and Pippin here, too? Sam? As if in answer to her question, she heard Merry's voice above her. How disorienting.

"She's alive."

There were general sighs of relief from multiple people. Lara finally wrenched her eyes open. Merry and Frodo were above her, peering at her face. Merry grinned weakly as her eyes opened. She saw no one else. "Are we...dead?" she asked, with some effort.

"No, not dead," Merry replied. "But you gave us all quite a scare."

"What about Frodo? He was stabbed. How...how did he survive?"

"Mithril," Frodo said quietly. Lara noticed tears on his cheeks. With some effort, she sat up. Her head was pounding, and she didn't understand anything. Aragorn was wiping off his sword grimly some distance away. Legolas was scanning the area, which Lara noticed was very pretty. Gimli and Boromir were watching the exchange between the Hobbits with interest. Lara looked around the white rocks they were on, and towards the forest, but she didn't see...

"Frodo?" she whispered. "Where's Gandalf?"

"He fell," Pippin whispered, and Lara noticed he was now above her too, and Sam.

"F-fell? How-what happened, how did we get out of Moria?"

"There will be time to explain later." Aragorn was now standing there, looking as grim as ever. "We must move quickly. By nightfall these hills will be swarming with Orcs. We must reach the woods and safety of Lothlorian." He gestured towards the trees.

Merry held out his hand to help her up, and slowly and somewhat painfully, she stood. Immediately, Aragorn and Legolas were jogging lightly to the trees. The Hobbits heaved a collective sigh, and hurried to match their pace. Lara was frightened, confused, and wanted to know where Gandalf was. And what was more, as they went on through the forest, Frodo became jumpy, looking around with a fearful look in his eyes.

Lara watched him carefully. His eyes were rimmed with red, and he looked exhausted. She had no idea how the Ring felt to him now. He stopped suddenly, looking alarmed. "Mr. Frodo?" Sam inquired from behind him. Frodo said nothing, just looked down and pressed on.

"Well," Gimli said, "here is one Dwarf she won't ensare so easily." He was referring to an Elf Witch he was speaking of only moments ago, that lived in this forest. Lara wasn't quite sure whether to believe him or not-Dwarves and Elves didn't like each other very much, and therefore were prejudiced. "I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox...oh," he said, halting to three arrows pointed in his face.

The rest of the Company stopped as well, as they now had arrows pointing at them. There was one that was almost touching Lara's nose. An Elf, a tall man with long blond hair that was similar to Legolas's, walked from seemingly out of nowhere and into their midst. "The Dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark," he said snidely.

Lara couldn't help it; she snorted loudly with laughter. Gimli's face was just too priceless. Pippin shot her a fearful and annoyed look, plainly telling her to shut up. The Elf didn't even spare her a glance. "Follow me," he ordered. They were lead into the woods, and the going was quick. It was nightfall before they came to a halt, in a wooded area with high platforms among the branches. They climbed up a flight of stairs, built into the tree, until they were on one of them.

The man spoke to Legolas in Elvish, and his tone was friendly, and Legolas replied something. He also spoke to Aragorn, putting his hand over his heart as he did so. "So much for the legendary courtesty of the Elves!" Gimli said harshly. "Speak words we can all understand!" Lara had been secretly thinking the same thing, but would never have dared spoken.

The blond Elf's snide voice was back. "We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days," he said slowly, staring at Gimli.

"And you know what this Dwarf says to that?" He then proceeded to say something in another language Lara did not understand, but she assumed it was not very polite, because Aragorn grabbed Gimli's arm roughly and said angrily, "That was not so courteous."

The Elf moved on to the Hobbits. Lara shrank back behind Sam, but he was not looking at anyone but Frodo. "You bring great evil with you," he said, menacingly. Frodo's expression did not change. He just glared back. "You can go no furthur," the Elf said after a pause. Aragorn immediately ushered the Elf over to speak with him, and they were arguing frantically in Elvish whispers.

Lara, who had been sitting with Merry and Pippin, listened carefully when Boromir walked over to Frodo, who was sitting alone by a tree. "Gandalf's death was not in vain," Boromir said kindly. "Nor would he have you give up hope. You carry a heavy burden, Frodo. Don't carry the weight of the dead." Frodo just looked at him for a moment before looking away. Lara's mind was working at full force as Boromir stood up and left to talk to Legolas. Frodo blamed himself for Gandalf's death? What could possibly have happened?

She wandered over and sat down next to Frodo, scolding herself for being scared. It had never been like this with Frodo-he was one of her best friends, and she felt like she could tell him anything.

Now she was afraid of him.

"Hey," she said softly, looking at him. He didn't reply, or even look at her, but before she could press him to talk, the blond Elf was back.

"You will follow me," he said to all of them, and hurried off.

They traveled almost the entire next day, until they reached a hill with large trees that looked to be the center of the wood. It was almost evening-the sun was setting. The Elf paused. "Caras Galadhon," he murmured, a light shining in his eyes suddenly as he looked at it. "Heart of Elvendom on earth. Realm of the Lord Celeborn, and of Galadriel, Lady of Light."

It was dark by the time they reached Caras Galadhon. They climbed numerous stairways, and went around the largest trees Lara had ever seen. All the trees had long staircases winding up them. They came to the largest tree there a little furthur on, and followed the Elf up. The staircases up the trees were covered with domes that sparkled with jewels, and Lara's breath was quite taken away. The long climb up the stairs seemed to short, for there were so many things to look at. This was the prettiest place yet-everything sparkled.

She thought she had seen it all until she reached the top. The platform was carved out in the middle, and so the Company carefully stepped around to the base of some stairs. The stairs were leading up into a dome, a dome lit by white light, a dome that glittered more brightly than anything else here.

But the brightest light was yet to come. Because as the Fellowship gathered in a group at the bottom of the stairs, they were all forced to squint as two Elves appeared at the top of the staircase, and slowly began to walk down. One was a Male, and he was lovely-he had long, blond hair. The woman also had long, blond hair that was wavy, and she was the most beautiful thing Lara had ever seen.

Lara glanced around at the other's faces, and bit her lip at Merry's expression, stifling a giggle. His eyes were wide, and he looked like he might pass out. Pippin looked dumbfounded, as if he had lost the ability to think for himself. Sam looked awed, and Frodo looked politely interested, but Lara detected a tear in his eye as he looked at Galadriel. The two Elves did not smile.

"The enemy knows you have entered here," Lord Celeborn said. "What hope you had in secrecy is now gone." His eyes did a quick glance from left to right. "Eight there are here, yet nine there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him? I can no longer see him from afar."

Lara looked at the woman, for she was much more interesting than the man, and she could tell she already knew. "Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into Shadow," Galadriel whispered.

"He was taken by both Shadow and Flame," Legolas said. "A Balrog of Morgoth. For we were needlessly into the net of Moria." The two Elves looked downcast, and Lara had a feeling that hiding their emotions was easy for them. Lara, however, was still confused, and sick of being the only person who still didn't know completely what had happened.

"Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dum fill your heart, Gimli, son of Gloin. For the world has grown full of peril. And in all lands, love is now mingled with grief." She stared at Boromir for along time, and he started to shake. He gasped and looked away from her.

"What now is to become of this Fellowship?" Lord Celeborn asked. "Without Gandalf, hope is lost."

"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and you shall fail...to the ruin of all." She looked suddenly a bit more pleased. "Yet hope remains...while the Company is true." She was looking directly at Sam as she said this, and then her gazed moved to Frodo. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight, you will sleep peacefully."

As they set up their beds that night, they heard a lament for Gandalf, for away; the Elves were singing. Lara immediately crawled over to Sam. "Sam?" she whispered. "What happened in Moria?" Sam looked at her sorrowfully, and glanced at Frodo, who wasn't paying attention, before answering.

"We were chased by a Balrog from that room," he began. "Frodo was saved by the Mithril Mr. Bilbo made him-the spear didn't hurt him. We hurried and came to a narrow Bridge. We almost didn't make it, everything was breaking..." he was trailing off now, and he looked over Lara's shoulder again, towards Frodo. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "We all made it across the bridge-the Balrog was right behind us. It was huge, a beast of Fire and Shadow with a whip. Gandalf fought it with his staff, and the bridge broke."

He took a deep breath now. "The Balrog fell, but it lashed out with it's whip and caught Gandalf. He hung on the edge for a moment-" He glanced Frodo's way again. "-Mr. Frodo tried to run after him but Boromir held him back. And he fell into the abyss." Sam sighed, and said, "Aragorn carried you the whole way."

Lara sighed, and looked over at Frodo herself, and he was still staring into space, but he was frowning now. "Thank you Sam," she said, and crawled over to her bed. Though she was frightened, she felt safe enough in this place, and fell asleep quickly.

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**a/n- I'm back! Yeah, this is the part of the story where the Adventure part of the story is way longer than the flashbacks. :) And the chapters will be long. Sorry it's been so long. I've estimated the story length, and the chapters come to about 26, but they will probably become more than that, because they will be too long or something. Flashbacks will go for another 5 chapters or so. I WILL finish this story, lol! Just letting you all know! Thanks!**


	15. The Breaking

**Reviewers**

**JainaZekk621- **glad you liked it! Hopefully you will continue to read and review..thanks!

**ShortHappens- **hahaha that galadriel thing was making me laugh, but that was my mistake :S I didn't count her in there...haha oh well, i will go back and fix that. and yes, i have the extended editions for the first two, and i love them! :) i need the third one though. well, i hope you enjoy this chappie! thx! :D

**coconut994777- **glad to see you found this story and like it haha! well i know you are leaving today for london, so i will miss you when you are gone as well! can't wait until you get back so i can read your funny reviews again! have fun! :D

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**Chapter 15**

**The Breaking**

_Lara was absolutely miserable._

_Not about the baby. No, she was starting to accept that now. It had been two months since she had found out, and now being February, it was cold season. She had been confined to the house for the past week, but she was still feeling rather sick. Merry, Pippin, Frodo, and Sam checked in every day, but it wasn't for long. Lara's mother wouldn't let them stay but for ten minutes or so._

_Being stuck in the house was not putting her in a good mood, and so when the doorbell rang and Merry and Pippin came bounding in her bedroom with ridiculous grins on their faces, she just rolled their eyes. Frodo and Sam followed behind them. "Feeling better?" Pippin asked brightly._

_"No," she snapped._

_"That's too bad," Frodo said kindly. "We were hoping you could play with us today."_

_She softened her tone a little. "I know. Me too."_

_"Shall I make you some soup?" Pippin asked, snickering. She glared at him until his laughs subsided._

_"Well, Miss Lara I suppose we will see you tomorrow," Sam said, glancing nervously over his shoulder as if Lara's mother would pop out from behind the door._

_"Bye," she said glumly. Frodo turned and gave her one last small smile before leaving, and that was enough to get her through most of the morning._

_Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo, in the meantime, were bored out of their minds. They had never really realized how much they relied on Lara to keep them entertained, and now they found themselves quite at a loss of what to do. "I have an idea!" Pippin said finally, while the four Hobbits sat on the side of the road dismally. "Let's go spy on Mr. Burrows!"_

_"Wow, Pippin, you really are bored," Frodo said, shaking his head._

_"I'm serious!"_

_"Danger adds an element of fun, don't you think?" Merry asked excitedly. Frodo and Sam exchanged a glance, but in the end, they were following Merry and Pippin down the lane. They couldn't help themselves. It was something to do, after all._

_Not too much later, they were crouched in the same bushes they had been some time earlier, when they had stolen Mr. Burrows' rope. They had put it back, of course. Sam shifted guiltily, and Frodo figured he must be remembering as well. "Where do you think he is?" Pippin whispered, looking at the dingy windows. They were all so focused on the whereabouts of Mr. Burrows that they did not see the giant chicken approaching behind them._

_"Perhaps we should-OW!" Merry yelled, whipping around to look at his foot._

_The chicken clucked, and then lunged forward again, this time pecking Merry's leg right below his knee. Pippin and Frodo were in hysterics by this point, until another two chickens showed up. They flapped their wings menacingly, and then dived on the boys. Yelling, they all stood up and fleed from the bush, a curious and angry Mr. Burrows watching from his front window._

_It was quite comical; how much damage three chickens could cause between five hobbits. And then Sam, who was in the lead of the running Hobbits, noticed another chicken standing in the road, blocking their way. He skidded to a stop, and the poor lads behind him toppled over one by one. The chickens behind them took advantage of this, and, squawking loudly, diverged on their heads and began pecking furiously._

_They all struggled to get up once more, and ran as fast as their legs could carry them away from that house. By the time they thought it safe enough to stop, they were so out of breath that they all collapsed in a heap, examining their gash marks. Frodo looked at his leg, which had the deepest, save for his face, which was bleeding. And then abruptly, he burst out laughing._

_The rest glared at him for a moment, but eventually joined in when they realized how stupid they must have looked. "Can you imagine what Lara would say if she could see us now?" Merry asked._

_"Yes, I'm glad she's not here for this," Pippin said, laughing harder._

_"We should go tell her," Frodo said._

_"No way!"_

_Pippin and Merry looked at him in horror, and he shrugged. "Fine," he said. "I just thought maybe we could keep her entertained."_

_"Sure, Frodo," Pippin said. "That's exactly your reasoning..."_

_"What's that supposed to-"_

_"HEY! What were you rascals doing in my shrub!?" They looked over to see a very angry Mr. Burrows standing some ways down the road from them, with his shovel. For a moment, no one moved a muscle, or even breathed._

_And then, Merry yelled, "RUN!"_

_They all wasted no time listening to his instructions. They took off the opposite way, cutting through fields and hopping fences. On one particularly white fence, Pippin fell flat on his face, but scrambled up like his life depended on it. They burst in the door at Bag End with no warning, and an alarmed Bilbo looked up from his book and tea to see the out of breath Hobbits panting in his living room._

_"What is the meaning of all this?" he asked, but he was smiling._

_"Shrubs...chickens...shovel," Frodo was able to gasp in between breathing, clutching his side. And then they all collapsed on Bilbo's floor, to exhausted to stand up any longer._

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Lara sat in the same boat as Gimli and Legolas, pondering her stay in Lothlorian. She looked around at the other two boats; Boromir, Merry, and Pippin in one, and Aragorn, Sam, and Frodo in the other. Frodo was getting even more distant now. He wouldn't even look at Lara anymore, let alone talk to her. But for now, she was thinking about the strange gift Lady Galadriel had given her.

She remembered sitting and waiting, not so patiently, for her turn to come as she stood by Sam. Legolas received a bow; Merry and Pippin received daggers. To Sam, she gave Elven rope, and Lara smiled. She was next. "Lara," Galadriel said, her pleasant voice filling the air nicely. She handed her a small object that looked to be a rock-but it was clear, and very light. Lara took it without question, wondering what in the world it could be. "Farewell Lara. Use this, when you realize the most important thing of all." Galadriel smiled, and with that, she moved on to Gimli.

Lara had stood dumbfounded for a moment, unable to believe that was all the explanation she would get. She trusted the Elves, however, and knew that it would come in use sometime.

The Company traveled farthur along the river, paddling rather slowly. "I have taken my worst wound at this parting," Gimli grumbled behind her. "Having looked my last upon that which is fairest. Henceforth I will call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me."

Lara turned and looked at him. "What was her gift?" Legolas asked.

"I asked for one hair from her golden head," Gimli said. "She gave me three." He sighed happily, and Lara couldn't hold back her smile. Gimli was her favorite of her new acquaintances.

The Fellowship traveled out of a smaller river and into the larger one, now spreading out more as they went along. It was dreadfully boring, Lara thought, and she wanted desperately to talk to one of the Hobbits-preferrably Frodo. His attitude was beginning to scare her. Somewhere, a bird cawed loudly. Legolas's head snapped over to the shore quickly, but he said nothing about what he saw.

A long day of traveling brought them to a shore, and they were very weary. The Hobbits all plopped down in the sand after making their beds; all except Sam, who busied himself making food for the rest. Frodo was a little ways away from the rest of them. Once the food was ready, Merry and Pippin moved off to eat and speak with Gimli, to who they were becoming fast friends as well. Lara, however, stayed where she was, watching Frodo.

Sam glanced at her and pointed at the food. She frowned and pointed at Frodo. Sam understood, and watched her as she walked up to him.

"Have some food, Frodo," Lara said.

He didn't answer. "You haven't eaten anything all day! And you're not sleeping either. Don't think I haven't noticed," she said sternly. He didn't indicate he had heard her. "Frodo..." he said, walking over and kneeling by him.

"I'm all right," he said, his voice borderline irritated.

"But you're not," Sam said, from behind them. He also kneeled next to Frodo, on the other side. "I'm here to help you," Sam said earnestly.

"Me too," Lara agreed.

"I promised Gandalf that I would," Sam said. Finally, Frodo turned and looked at him, away from Lara.

"You can't help me, Sam. Not this time. Get some sleep," he said softly. Sam turned and left, dejected. Lara frowned. He still hadn't looked at her.

"Can't talk to me, but you can talk to Sam?" she asked. He said nothing, just stared straight ahead. "Fine," Lara hissed. She got up and walked away before Frodo could see how hurt she was. It was a long night; Lara couldn't fall asleep, as Frodo still sat up some distance away from her. She lay awake a long time, watching him, wondering when he would come to bed, and she knew Sam was too. She was able to let a few tears escape without anyone seeing before she finally fell asleep.

..........

The next day was just as uneventful, except for passing through the Argonath. Two giant statues on either side of the River, and when Lara asked Gimli what they were, he told her they were the kings of old. They were enormous; the Kings' feet were about sixty times bigger than their boats.

The River grew wider on the other after that, into a River and it wasn't too much longer before they finally shored their boats to avoid the waterfalls. It was still midday, and as everyone settled in and got camp ready, Aragorn said, "We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats, and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the North." He set down the logs he was carrying.

Gimli stood up. "Oh, yes?" Aragorn looked over at him, and Pippin and Merry perked up to listen as well. Sam was snoozing in the corner. "Just a simple matter of finding our way through the Emyn Muil? An impassible labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks. And after that, it gets even better!" Gimli's tone was very sarcastic, and Pippin even stopped chewing to hear the rest. "Festering, stinking marshland as far as the eye can see!"

"That is our road," Aragorn said calmly.

Lara shared a glance with Pippin. "Their road" didn't sound like fun at all. "I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf," Aragorn said firmly to Gimli. Gimli grumbled a bit to Merry and Pippin, but sat back down. Lara suddenly glanced around. Aragorn and Legolas were deep in a serious conversation, Merry was gathering wood, Pippin was eating...Gimli and Sam were resting. But where was...

"Where's Frodo?" she asked suddenly. Sam sat up.

"And Boromir is gone as well," Merry whispered to her. Lara felt a strange dropping sensation in her heart, which she identified as fear. Boromir made her uneasy, and by the looks of it, he had either followed Frodo or was unintentionally alone with him now.

The first seemed much more likely.

"Merry," she whispered back, her voice cracking with fear. She gripped his arm, and he winced. "We have to find them, now," she said. Aragorn seemed to be thinking among the same lines. He took off into the woods without a word. Sam stood up and ran off after Aragorn, and Lara dashed after him.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam called, but the sound of swords clinking made him stutter to a halt. Lara blew past him, but put on the brakes when she realized Sam had stopped. She listened intently. There was a battle. Orcs.

Somehow, Lara knew that these Orcs were nothing like the ones in Moria. They wouldn't be scrawny, and they would know how to battle. The fear flooded through her like acid, but she didn't have long to ponder before Sam took off again. She heard an inhuman yell from close by. "Find the halflings!" It shouted. "Find the halflings!" As she ran, Lara dimly registered that they must know that one of the Hobbits had something important.

They had to find Frodo.

She heard Orcs in the woods around her, but pressed on, and Sam was surprisingly keeping up without getting out of breath. He must want to find Frodo just as bad as she did. Lara's thoughts switched to Merry and Pippin for a fraction of a second, wondering where they were, and if they were all right; but then she was back in the moment, just putting one foot in front of the other as fast as she could.

"Sam, where are we heading!" she shouted after him.

"The other shore!" he called, and she charged ahead of him. Of course. Frodo was trying to leave, without them. He was going alone. Sam had registered that fact before she had. "Frodo!" Sam shouted to no one, throwing leaves aside. They couldn't hear sounds of battle anymore; they were long gone.

They emerged from the trees just as Frodo was paddling away. "Frodo, no!" Lara screamed, skidding to a stop by the water.

"WAIT!" Sam yelled. He stopped by her as well. "Mr. Frodo!"

Frodo didn't turn around. He just kept paddling. Sam began to wade out into the water, determined. "Sam, you can't swim!" Lara shouted, tears welling in her eyes. She blinked them out furiously, so she could see.

Frodo turned at her shout. "Go back, Sam!" he shouted. His voice shook. "I'm going to Mordor alone!"

"Of course you are," Sam said. "And Miss Lara and I are coming with you!" He didn't stop wading out into the water. Though she couldn't swim either, she took Sam's cue and began wading out as well.

"Lara, stop!" Frodo yelled, his voice shaking even more.

"NO! Don't you dare tell me what to do, Frodo Baggins!" she shrieked, feeling quite mad in the head. In front of her, she saw Sam go down under the water, but that only made her press forward even more.

"Sam! SAM!" Frodo was now leaning against the boat, but Lara was starting to get too deep to see anything anymore. She sputtered, and tripped. She opened her eyes, and there, under the water, was Sam. He was not struggling to the surface anymore, and that frightened her. She tried, in vain, to swim up, but she had no idea what she was doing. The water sparkling on the surface was beautiful. She saw a shadow go across, and then a hand plunged in and grabbed Sam. Seconds later, that hand came back for her.

Both she and Sam were clinging to the side of the boat now, and Frodo did his best to help them in while keeping the boat steady. Eventually, they both clambered in, dripping wet and coughing. Frodo's eyes had tears in them. "I made a promise, Mr. Frodo," Sam said stoutly, speaking first. "'Don't you leave him, Samwise Gamgee.' And I don't mean to."

"I'm not going anywhere without you," Lara said, feeling like she had to explain her reasoning. Really, that was the best she had.

Sam's arm was around Lara, and Frodo leaned forward and embraced them both so tightly that Lara practically felt her ribs cracking. "Frodo," she whispered. "Ow..." The Hobbits all pulled out of their three person hug to look at her.

"Sorry," Frodo said, looking worried.

"That's all right," she said, beaming. He was really accepting the fact that she and Sam weren't going away. It was quiet for a few moments. "Come on," she said finally, picking up a paddle. Sam picked up the other, but Frodo took it away from her.

"I can paddle," he said quietly, and he didn't let her protest, he just took it. They were off before long, paddling to reach the other shore. When they got there, they had a a long hike uphill. They didn't talk at all, and barely stopped, except for once. It was twilight before they reached a spot where they could see the Emyn Muil below them, and Mordor furthur on.

"Mordor," Frodo said, looking at the orange clouds coming from Mount Doom in the sky. "I hope the others find a safer road."

"Strider will look after them," Sam said, sure of that fact.

"I don't suppose we will ever see them again," Frodo said sadly.

"We may, Frodo," Lara said. "We may."

Frodo turned, and he was smiling at both of them. His gaze lingered on Lara for just a moment longer, before he flicked over to Sam and smiled. "I'm glad you are both with me," he said, looking at them both now.

That was all Lara needed to make her glad she had followed, and to make up for his distant behavior the past few days. She understood it now. With that, Frodo began his way down the hill into the Emyn Muil, Lara and Sam right on his heels.

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**A/N- I know, short flashback and not a whole lot of fluff this chapter...sorry. But you will get your fluff, don't fear! Haha, next chapter definitely...**

**Lol anyways, oh, and I know it seems very cliche and typical because Lara is going with Sam and Frodo, BUT there will be a major change a little later on. And this story is cliche anyways :D haha well, That's all I will say for now! Please remember to leave a review! Thanks :)**


	16. Smeagol

**A/N- No flashback this chapter, sorry! I'm having a hard time writing them. There will be one next chapter, Chapter 17, and then up until Chapter 20. Chapter 20 will be the last one...and then we shall focus on the adventure! :D And this chapter has some minor fluff in it, to make y'alls happy. Enjoy ;)**

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**Reviewers**

**JainaZekk621- **thank you! =) Glad you enjoyed!

**ShortHappens- **:D is the expression on my face when I read your reviews! lol. i also have the extended versions, except for the third one! I agree, it's hard to watch the regular ones afterwards...in fact it's nearly impossible! I need to get the third one bad. Lol. Well thank you again for your review, and sorry it took so long...hope you like the slightly fluffy chappie! ;)

**coconut994777- **hahaha the roleplay thing with your sister and the 'tastes like chicken' thing was hilarious! That was a super long review, and I thank you for that! I miss your reviews on my other stories...I hope you log on soon and read those and this on as well! :D

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**Chapter 16**

**Smeagol**

The next week was quite nearly torture.

The rocks were sharp and hazardous in the Emyn Muil, and it took forever to get anywhere. Frodo and Sam were the ones mostly leading the way, and Lara just followed along dutifully, though once or twice she suspected they were lost. She knew better than to say anything.

On their eighth day in the Emyn Muil, she and Frodo and Sam were napping. The days were so clouded with mist that Lara felt a dreamlike sense of unreality, like they were constantly in the clouds. She had never been able to sleep during the day very well, but she found that she could, here in these mountains. She had already awoken, and she was guessing it had been about two hours or so since she fell asleep.

As she was lying there, listening to Sam's snores, all of the sudden she heard a shout. "Gandalf!" Frodo was sitting up, and Lara shot up too, because for one second of glee, she thought he had seen Gandalf. But then she realized that Frodo was sitting with a look of shock upon his face, and that he had just had a bad dream.

"What is it, Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked, putting his hand on Frodo's shoulder.

"Nothing," Frodo said, beginning to stand up. "It was just a dream." He caught Lara's eye for half a second, and then it flicked away again. He had become even more distant with her lately. Though he was definitely distancing himself from both of them, Lara found that he was avoiding her more than Sam. The hurt of this went very deep, and she couldn't possibly imagine what she had done wrong.

The mist blew through the Hobbits' hair all afternoon as they made their way through the perilous rocks, and finally they came to a point where they had to go down a large cliff. The mist was so thick they could not see the ground, but Sam immediately got out the Elven rope Lady Galadriel had given him, and started to tie a knot on a nearby rock. Lara sighed. She liked climbing things, but not when she couldn't see the bottom.

Frodo just stood quietly, staring off into space. Once the knot was tied, Sam looked up at them expectantly. It was quiet for a moment. "I'll go first," Lara said heavily.

"No," Frodo contradicted. "I will."

"But-"

"The lightest should go in the middle, Miss Lara," Sam offered. I glared at him for taking Frodo's side, but I had no choice. I watched nervously as Frodo took a tight grip on the rope, pulled it a few times to test it, and dropped down to the side of the cliff. I anxiously watched the knot, but it seemed to be holding Frodo's weight rather well.

"I should have gone first," Sam muttered. "I'm heaviest. I'll go next, Miss Lara. I'm sorry, I should have thought of that earlier."

"It's all right, Sam," I said, and watched carefully as he too swung himself off the side of the cliff. It held his weight as well, and when Lara climbed down as well, all three were starting to inch their way down the side, using their feet.

It was slow going, and after a while Sam called, "Can you see the bottom?" to Frodo.

Frodo glanced below him. "No," he shouted up. "Don't look down, Sam, just keep going!"

Sam was having a harder time of this than Lara was, and so she was monitoring him carefully. His foot slipped suddenly on a rock, but he held fast. However, a small box made it's way out of his pack, and was falling down the side of the cliff. He leaned over, trying desperately to grab it, but it continued quickly. "OI! Catch it! Grab it, Mr. Frodo!"

It bounced on the side of the rocks twice, and Frodo looked up, and with an agility Lara didn't know he possessed, he reached over and snatched the little box. Unfortunately, this caused his foot to slip on the rock, and as he only had one hand on the rope, he let go and slid down the side of the cliff. He yelled, and Sam and Lara both screamed, "Frodo!"

Much to their relief, however, the bottom was very close by, and Frodo landed with a jolt. He steadied himself and looked up. "I think I've found the bottom."

Lara and Sam, with much clambering on Sam's part, hurried down the rest of the way. "Bogs and rope, and goodness knows what. It's not natural. None of it," Sam muttered as they reached the ground safely.

Frodo had been staring of the other direction, and then he just seemed to realize he had the box in his hand still. He examined it. "What's in this?" Frodo asked, looking up at Sam.

Lara was quite curious too, as obviously it was something real important. "Nothing," Sam said. "Just a bit of seasoning. I thought if maybe we was having a roast chicken one night or something."

"Roast chicken?" Frodo was looking so incredulous, and his tone caused Lara to burst out laughing.

"You never know," Sam said stoutly.

"Sam...my dear Sam," Frodo said quietly, laughing and shaking his head as he opened the little container to look inside. Indeed, there was seasoning inside.

"It's very special, that. It's the best salt in all the Shire!" Sam said defensively.

"Not special enough to get Frodo killed!" Lara spoke up. "Goodness Sam, to think he could have fallen all that way for a little bit of seasoning!" It gave her the shivers to think about it. Sam shot her a sheepish look, but Frodo had gone somber, still looking at the seasoning.

"It is special," he murmured. "It's a little bit of home."

.........

They had traveled for another hour or so, uphill. Lara was not especially happy, but then they rounded a corner and came to a slightly flatter area. Mordor was just visible in the distance--orange and yellow clouds billowing over the mountains. "Mordor," Sam muttered. "It's the one place in Middle Earth we don't want to see any closer, but it's the one place wer're trying to get to."

He turned to look at Frodo and Lara, who were behind him. "Let's face it," he said sadly, "We're lost. I don't think Gandalf meant for us to come this way."

"He didn't mean for a lot of things to happen, Sam. But they did," Frodo replied quietly, and Lara couldn't see his face, as she was behind him. She was glad she couldn't. She didn't quite know what happened next, it all happened so fast, but she heard Frodo gasp, and then sit, breathing heavily. She rushed forward, but he seemed fine. He didn't even look at her.

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam said anxiously. He had not moved, but then his face twisted in understanding. "It's the Ring, isn't it?"

"It's getting heavier," Frodo muttered. He clutched at his chest where the Ring was, on it's chain. Lara couldn't bear to look. Sam sat down and began rummaging in his bag. Frodo sat as well, and quietly, Lara sat down next to Sam. She was starting to get this strange feeling every once in a while ever since joining Frodo, but now it was occuring more and more often. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

But, as Frodo and Sam had a joking conversation about Elvish waybread and Sam's cheerfulness, she realized suddenly what it has been. She was feeling left out.

She scolded herself, thinking that Frodo's health and the mission with the Ring were much more important than her feelings. But no matter how hard she tried to contain it, it wouldn't go away. She found herself wishing for Merry and Pippin--she had never really realized how close Frodo and Sam were, and had never really been alone with them lately either. But now, she felt as if she didn't fit in their comraderie without Merry and Pippin present.

"Nothing ever dampens your spirits, does it Sam?" Frodo asked, smiling at him.

Sam took a bite of his Elvish waybread, and stared at something over Lara's head. He sighed. "Those rain clouds might."

Sure enough, the sky darkened and turned into night, bringing with it even darker clouds and rain. And it wasn't just sprinkling rain, the kind Lara liked to go sit outside in when she still lived in the Shire. The kind she loved to sit and smell, and take walks in. No, this rain was freezing. And it was _pouring._

Sam, Frodo, and Lara tried to find shelter under a little overhang, but unfortunately it wasn't much. They threw their hoods on and sat, huddled under the cliff. Lara found herself between the two Hobbits, but she also found that Hobbit lasses didn't have as tough a skin as males, and before long she was shivering like mad. The rain seemed to soak right through her cloak. From her right, she heard Sam say, "Miss Lara, you're shivering pretty good."

"I-I-I kn-know," she stuttered.

"Do you want my cloak?"

"N-n-no Sam," Lara said. "But th-tha-thank you." She saw Frodo looking at her from the corner of her eye, but she just bent her head and tried to get deeper into her cloak. She tried to control her violent tremors, but they wouldn't go away.

"Lara." She looked up at Frodo, and he had spoken so quietly that at first she wasn't sure he had at all. He opened his cloak on one side, and she stared at him. Was he really inviting her in? She found that it was so tempting that she couldn't say no. She scooted over and Frodo wrapped them both up, so she was protected by two cloaks instead of one. Instantly, she found herself warmer, mostly because of Frodo's body heat.

Her shivers were starting to die down a little, and when she found Frodo staring at her with luminous blue eyes, she felt a little self-conscious. "Wh-what?" she said, not quite warm all the way yet.

"Your lips are turning blue," he said.

"Maybe Sam should join as well," Lara suggested. "S-Sam?"

"I'm coming, Miss Lara." He got on Lara's other side, and the three got into a semi-circle, each wrapped into the other's cloak. Lara felt so much warmer that she could have fallen asleep. And she did, but not before she noticed Frodo quickly glance up at the cliffs, a worried look on his face. Deciding she must have been dreaming, she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, she found she was again the first to awake. She found hersef lying down, nestled between Frodo and Sam. It was the most comfortable she had been in a long time, even considering she had been sleeping on sharp rocks. Sam was the next to wake up, and then Frodo, and as they all got ready to move out again, Frodo did not once meet her eye. Lara sighed. She supposed he was once again back to ignoring her.

After basically going in circles the entire day, the Hobbits, grumpy and worn out, lay down to sleep. Lara was asleep in seconds, but woke to a loud shout.

She sat up and noticed that Frodo and Sam were struggling with the ugliest creature she had ever seen. Gollum. She stood up just as Gollum threw Frodo and Sam off of him, both falling down and smacking their heads against a rock. Gollum sat, breathing hard and looking quite insane, and then saw the golden glint of the Ring which was hanging out of Frodo's shirt.

He was on Frodo in seconds, and Frodo was struggling quite well. Sam reached forward and tugged Gollum's foot, but Gollum just slugged him once, easily, and went back to Frodo. Lara tried as well, but found herself thrown off. When she sat back up again, dizzy and disoriented, Frodo landed next to her with a yell, and Sam was picking up Gollum. Gollum launched himself off, and landed on the cliff. He was above Frodo and Lara now, and he leaped onto Frodo.

They didn't have long to struggle, because once again, Sam picked up Frodo. Momentarily stunned at his strength, Lara and Frodo watched in amazement. Gollum turned around and bit Sam in the neck, and Sam sunk to the ground with a yell. But Gollum wasn't finished with him yet. He clung to Sam's back, and had Sam lying on the ground. Gollum's arm was choking him from behind, but Frodo leaped up now, and drew his sword.

Lara waited with bated breath. "This is Sting," Frodo said. "You've seen it before, haven't you...Gollum?" She faintly heard Sam cough. "Release him," Frodo said, in a deadly voice Lara had never heard him use. It frightened her. "Or I'll cut your throat."

Gollum surrendered with a loud cry.

..........

The next day was long. None of them had gotten much sleep the night before after their capture of Gollum. Sam had tied him up, using the Elven rope, but it had caused him so much pain that he had been shrieking half the time. And now he was louder than ever, Sam dragging him through the rough terrain.

"It burns! It burns us!" he was shouting. "Nasty Elves twisted it...take it off us!" He was slipping and sliding everywhere, and Sam wasn't being very gentle in his towing. Lara found herself feeling rather sorry for the creature, and walked near Gollum.

"Quiet, you!" Sam shouted. "It's hopeless!" he said, turning to Frodo. "Every Orc in Mordor is going to hear this racket! Let's just tie him up and leave him!"

"NO!" Gollum said, his voice high pitched. "That would kill us, kill usss!"

"It's no more than you deserve!" Sam yelled.

Gollum turned and looked at Lara. "Help uss, kind Hobbit!" he pleaded with her. He grabbed her leg, and she buckled. She was sure that Gollum had not meant to grab her with such force, but he was really quite strong, and she fell backwards with a loud thump. Frodo was striding forward, an angry glint in his eye. It scared Lara more than anything else so far, and when he rose his hand above Gollum, she scrambled up.

"Wait!" she cried. "Don't hit him! He didn't mean to!"

Frodo looked at her, and the angry glint did not go away, but he did lower his hand. "Don't _ever_ touch her again!" Lara heard him snarl to Gollum. Frodo looked at Sam, and then suddenly, he was quite calm again, thoughtful. "Maybe he does deserve to die," Frodo said, brooding. Gollum writhed on the ground. "But now that I see him, I do pity him."

Gollum stopped writhing at these words, and sat up, hearing hope in Frodo's words. "We be nice to them if they be nice to us," Gollum said. He grabbed the rope at his neck and pulled a bit. "Take it off uss!" he pleaded again. "We swears to do whatever you wants...we swearsss..."

"There's no promise you can make that I can trust," Frodo said sternly.

Gollum paused in his act of bowing, and sat up, staring at Frodo earnestly with big blue eyes. "We swears to serve the Master of the precious," he hissed. "We swears on...on...the Precious!" He bent over and coughed out, "Gollum, Gollum!"

"The Ring is treacherous. It will hold you to your word," Frodo said, nodding.

"Yes...on the precious..." Gollum was saying.

"I don't believe you!" Sam rushed at him, and Gollum hurried away. Sam grabbed the rope and pulled, and Gollum was yanked off the top of the rock he was climbing by the neck. He choked, and sat, gasping and massaging his neck. "If we let him go, he'll throttle us in our sleep!" Sam was imploring to Frodo.

Frodo glanced at Lara, but for once, she decided to take a page out of Frodo's book and not meet his eye. This was his decision.

Frodo stepped forward to Gollum calmly. "You know the way to Mordor?" Frodo asked quietly.

"Yes."

"You've been there before?" Frodo asked, kneeling down to look him straight in the face.

"Yes," Gollum said nervously.

Frodo reached forward, and slipped the rope off of Gollum's neck. Sam glared, and Lara held her breath, waiting for something to happen--she was half expecting Gollum to attack Frodo. "You will lead us to the Black Gate," Frodo said.

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**A/N- Anything you guys would like to see, in the flashbacks or during the adventure? Let me know! Any speculations...such as, why is Frodo avoiding Lara so much? Hmm. I'm curious to know your thoughts...please let me know! And there will be a flashback next chapter! Thanks...please review! XD**


	17. The Marshes

**A/N- Rather fluffy chapter for you all. :D Your welcome. Oh, and I'm pleased with the number of reviews last chapter. Thank you so much to those who did, and keep it up!**

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**Reviewers**

**ShortHappens- **hmm i think I can arrange the snuggling with Frodo ;) hahaha. There is a flashback this chapter, hurray! They are rather hard to write! And I like your idea about the Merry/Pippin convo, I might have to find somewhere to put that in...hmmm. Well, there's another chapter for ya, I hope you like (it's rather fluffy :D)

**Cougarrebel- **hey, new reader! Thanks, I'm glad you like my writing...hope you continue reading :)

**redxlover- **woww, thank you! I'm glad you like the story and the way I write...hopefully you like this chappy as well! Thanks! :D

**coconut994777- **Ok, first of all I have to tell you, I had a dream where I met you hahaha. It was funny, I woke up and was like wtf?? Anyhoo, yeah, no flashback...sorry! They are hard to write, but I got one this chapter :) I love the angst, and the "roast chicken" part. And you gotta love the protective Frodo and the Gollum (Gollum is actually one of my fav characters, I find him hilarious!) hehehe. Thanks so much once again! :D

**JainaZekk621- **Thank you! Glad you like! :D

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**Chapter 17 **

**The Marshes**

_Lara was feeling better after her cold, but unfortunately the sickness spread through her little circle of friends. First Frodo, then Sam, and finally Merry and Pippin got the cold, until a few weeks later they were all healthy again. The spring months seemed to fly by, and before the five friends knew it, June was here. June meant summer._

_Summer meant robbing Farmer Maggot's crops._

_One particularly warm day in the middle of June, Merry and Pippin were trying to convince the rest of them to join in their raid. The mushrooms should be ripening now, and though Lara wanted to go, she didn't want to admit it in front of Frodo and Sam. "Come on you three," Pippin said, "it's just a couple mushrooms. What's stopping us?"_

_"Well, if he happened to have some chickens guarding the mushrooms, you four would be in trouble," Lara said, snickering. She had found out about the chicken incident from Bilbo, and she wasn't about to let it go._

_"Put a lid on it, you," Pippin growled. "And you know you want to come."_

_Lara sighed. "All right. I want to go. But just for the adventure, I don't much like stealing things."_

_"Oh, sure," Pippin scoffed. "The_ _adventure_._ Right."_

_The five were walking through the fields, trying to think of somewhere to go or something to do. The sunshine was dimming, and before they knew it, the Hobbits were stuck in the rain. The walk home was quite a ways, and so they tried to seek refuge somewhere. After walking for another ten minutes or so, they came across an old abandoned barn. At least, they hoped it was abandoned._

_They were quite cold now, and Merry looked around nervously, probably weighing the chill and the creepiness of the deserted barn. "Let's just go inside," Frodo suggested, with a shrug. "What's the worst that can be in there?"_

_"Maybe Mr. Burrows hides his dead bodies in there," Pippin said, shuddering._

_"Pippin! What a thing to say!" Lara exclaimed, trying hard not to laugh. "Mr. Burrows doesn't kill people!"_

_"Not that we know of," he muttered darkly._

_In the end, they ended up edging inside the barn. They pushed poor Sam in first, and he announced it was clear. Once inside and warm, the youngsters felt a lot more comfortable, especially when it was obvious that there were no dead bodies inside._

_Merry picked up a peice of hay and stuffed it in Pippin's face. Pippin pushed him, and they got to fighting. As they rolled around on the ground, the other three observed their surroundings. The barn had a high ceiling; there were rafters in the roof, and a loft. Lara was desperately curious to climb up, and she looked around for a way. She also noticed the little holes in the wall, like minature storage units. There were other holes in the wall as well, but they looked more like mice holes._

_"This could be a pretty good hideout," she said, looking at Frodo and Sam. Behind them, Merry was chasing Pippin around in circles, an angry glint in his eye._

_"It could," Sam agreed, and Frodo nodded._

_"We could store food in here, bring books..." Lara was looking around, making a mental image of their new destination. She saw a few pieces of wood sticking out, and figured she could make it to the loft using them. She immediately went over and put her foot on one, hoisting herself up._

_As she was scaling the wall, Frodo said, "Lara, what are you doing?!"_

_"Climbing," she answered nonchalantly. "I want to see what is in the loft. Come on!"_

_Frodo and Sam seemed to follow somewhat reluctantly, but the climb wasn't too difficult. Merry and Pippin were still trying to kill each other, and so didn't notice the other three disappared up into the rafters. Upon first glance, there was nothing much of interest in the loft except more hay. But with closer inspection, the group noticed an ancient looking rope, hanging down, and a perfect pile of hay on the floor._

_"We can swing off of this!" Lara said excitedly, running over to it._

_"Lara, wait!" Frodo shouted, sounding panicked._

_She turned. "What?"_

_"That rope looks old--what if it doesn't hold us?"_

_"Then I will try it out."_

_"No."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"No way. I will."_

_She frowned. "Well hurry up, then."_

_Frodo went over and held the rope gingerly in his hands. He hesitated for a minute or two, but seemed to gather courage and pushed off with his feet. He flew gracefully through the air, and landed in the hay pile with a soft thump. He was laughing when he sat up, bits of hay in his hair, and waved Lara and Sam down. They each flew down, and were about on the verge of climbing up again, laughing with fun, when they heard a loud yell._

_They all whipped around to look at Merry, who was clutching his lip and sitting on the ground. They rushed over. "What happened?" Lara demanded, kneeling down to Merry and glaring at Pippin._

_"He was chasing me...I jumped over a hayfork, but he must not have seen it because he tripped over it. He fell on his face." Pippin looked shocked, and worried._

_Merry's lip was bleeding, and he looked to be in a large amount of pain. Sam pulled him up. "We'd better get back to Bilbo," Frodo said, looking worried. "He looks like he needs help."_

_The hobbits went as fast as they could back to Bag End, and Bilbo seemed to be in a flurry when they got there. Once they walked in the door, he said loudly, "There you all are! Lara! Your father desperately wanted to find you!" And then he noticed Merry. "What happened here?"_

_"Hayfork," Pippin said shortly._

_"Get him to the kitchen, quickly," Bilbo said, and then turned to Lara while Sam and Pippin escorted Merry to the kitchen. Frodo, however, stayed put. "Lara, your father came looking for you. He wanted to find you, but he didn't have time--he is taking your mother to the doctor as we speak."_

_"The-the baby?" Lara gasped. "But it's only June! It's not supposed to come until September!"_

_"I know," Bilbo said. "But we had better get you over there. Go talk to Esmeralda--she will take you. I have to take care of young Meriadoc."_

_"Will he be all right?" Lara asked, tears filling her eyes. All this information was overwhelming._

_"Yes, I think so. But go now! Hurry!" Bilbo said, ushering her towards the door._

_"Wait! I'm going with her!" Frodo said, rushing after them. "I will take her, Bilbo." He looked so earnest that Bilbo did not argue it, but just nodded and rushed to the kitchen. Frodo reached forward and grabbed Lara's hand._

_"Come on," he said, and pulled her out the front door and down the lane._

* * *

Gollum had at first set a pace that was difficult for the Hobbits to keep up. At one point, he had dashed off, and it seemed he had left them forever. But he came back, and they ran over the perilous rocks a little too quickly. Lara had no problem with this, as she just wanted to get out of these horrible mountains, but Sam was getting visibly disgruntled.

After a long day of mostly journeying and not much stopping, they came around a corner, and up onto a flatter part of land. Mordor's orange sky was visible over the mountains, and between the mountains were what appeared to be marshes. "See, see?" Gollum hissed. "We have led you out!" He sounded quite pleased with himself, and when Lara passed him, she smiled kindly. She pitied the creature.

Frodo and Sam paused beside Gollum, and Lara turned to wait. "Very lucky we find you," Gollum said. Frodo passed by Gollum without a word, and Sam passed by with a glare. "Nice hobbit," Gollum said nervously, before slinking down from the rock and resuming the lead.

They got to the marshlands after another hour, and it was in the very late afternoon. Sam stepped into a puddle. "Oh!" he cried out. "It's a bog! He's led us into a swamp!"

"A swamp, yes, yes," Gollum hissed, creeping back towards them. "Come, Master. We take you on safe paths through the mist." He had not gone two steps when he turned back again. "Come, Hobbits! Come!" He waved his arm impatiently. "We go quickly. I found it...I did," this last part was more to himself, and he continued. "The way through the marshes. Orcs don't use it. Orcs don't know it. They go around for miles and miles. Come quickly. Soft and quick as shadows we must be."

.........

Three days later, they were still in the marshes. The terrible thing about them was, everything looked the same, and Lara felt as if they hadn't made any progress at all. Sam was grumpy, and Frodo wasn't talking at all. In fact, he hadn't spoken since the day before, and it was now late afternoon as they sat on the ground to rest.

"I hate this place," Sam muttered, as he rummaged through his bag and handed food to Lara and Frodo. "It's too quiet. Hasn't been sight nor sound of a bird for two days."

Gollum, who was sitting some ways away, was wallowing. "No, no birdses to eat. No crunchable birdses. We are famished, yes! Famished we are, precious!" He seemed to spot something on the ground, for a second later he snatched forward and produced a worm. He slurped it noisily. Sam looked at his own food and put it down, disgusted.

Frodo seemed to snap out of a reverie. "Here," he said quietly, throwing some bread to Gollum.

Gollum got very excited, but spit it out immediately. "It tries to chokes us!" He glared at Frodo. "We can't eats Hobbit food! We must starve..." He moaned this last part, long and drawn out, but Sam cut in.

"Well starve then," Sam said. "And good riddance!"

"Sam!" Lara said, shocked. He looked at her, but he didn't look the least bit apologetic.

"Oh, cruel Hobbit. It does not care if we be hungry. It does not care if we should die!" He had crawled forward to address Sam, but he was looking at Frodo now. "Not like master." His tone had dropped, and Frodo glanced over at him before looking away again. "Master cares. Master knows." Frodo was looking back at Gollum now as if he couldn't look away. "Yes," Gollum hissed quietly. "Precious..."

Frodo slowly reached out and grabbed at his chest, where the Ring was. "Once it takes hold of us," Gollum whispered, staring at his hand. "It never lets go..."

At these words, Lara burst into quiet tears. Sam noticed, and shot her a worried glance, but she shook her head frantically at him. Frodo did not notice, but continued his gazing into space once more. Gollum crawled over. "What is thisss? Hobbit with water in eyesss?" He reached out slowly to her face, but before he could get there, an arm snatched out quick as a flash and slapped Gollum's hand away.

"Frodo!" Lara scolded again, unsure of who she was more angry at. Herself, or Frodo. Probably herself.

He looked at her tearstained face without any emotion. "I told him not to touch you," he muttered. And with that, he turned and sat in the exact same spot he had been. Lara had half-expected him to give her a hug or something--after all, she _was_ crying. But he paid her no more attention after that, and Sam sighed, and slung an arm over her shoulders.

Lara suddenly got very homesick. She missed the Shire, and the pretty hills and flowers. She missed the trees, and her books. She missed her family. She missed her friends, and most of all the old Frodo. She hated this new Frodo that was so hateful to her. She thought of Merry and Pippin wistfully.

She didn't know what had happened to them, but she couldn't let herself assume the worst. The Orc battle had been heading their direction, and no doubt they had been in the middle of it. But they had the others with them, right? They were all right. Lara had to believe that, or she wouldn't be able to keep going. Without the old Frodo, and with a grumpy Sam, she was finding this journey harder and harder every day.

The days passed, and the Hobbits pressed on. At night, Lara found herself listening for Frodo's deep breathing, to indicate he was sleeping, but she never heard it. Sam was snoring, and Frodo was so very still that once or twice Lara almost got up to make sure he wasn't dead.

The Hobbits fell many times over the next few days, and Lara had never felt this disgusting in her entire life. The hard thing was, there was water all around, but the other two didn't seem to think about stopping and washing off a little. They got to a point in the marshes where fires where lit up in the weeds, and suddenly Sam cried out, "There are dead things! Dead faces, in the water!"

Lara looked, and indeed there were dead people in the water, all of their eyes closed. Their hair was sprawled out, floating eerily in the water. She shivered and looked at Frodo. He was staring as well.

"The Dead Marshes. Yes, yes, that is their name. Don't follow the lights. Careful, or Hobbits go down to join the dead ones and light little candles of their own."

The next thing she heard was a loud shout from Sam.

"FRODO!"

She whipped around just in time to see Frodo fall face first into the water. She screamed, a horrible, chilling sound, and ran forward without thinking. Her feet seemed to carry her of their own accord, but Gollum was already there, reaching into the water. She didn't trust Gollum to save him, and she rushed forward even faster, and she jumped.

She was flying through the air, about to land in the water, when she felt a heavy force knock her over from the side. She looked up to see Sam, breathing hard, above her. "Miss Lara, I couldn't let you," Sam said, sounding sorry for tackling her. "Mr. Frodo would have killed me."

She struggled desperately. "Get off me, Sam! FRODO!" she screamed. She peered around Sam as best she could, and she saw Gollum dragging Frodo out of the water. "Sam, move!" she cried, and pushed him out of the way. Frodo lay on the ground, shivering from cold and breathing hard. His hair was dripping into his face. "Frodo!" she said, kneeling down beside him. "Are you all right?"

"Mr. Frodo, are you all right?" Sam was on the other side now.

"I'm fine, Sam, just fine..." He was still staring after Gollum, and suddenly Lara was infuriated with him. He hadn't even acknowledged her presence. All the fury with Frodo, anxiety from the Quest and worry about Merry and Pippin, mixed with the thought that they might all die, seemed to well up all at the same time. She had been keeping everything at bay. She thought she had. It burst out now, one hundred times worse than if she wouldn't have held everything in.

She reached out and slapped Frodo right in the face with all her strength. Both he and Sam were staring at her now, aghast, mouths hanging open. Frodo's cheek already had a red mark on it, but Lara didn't regret it quite yet. "You listen here, Frodo Baggins!" she shouted. "Just because I am a girl does not mean you don't have to acknowledge my presence! I'm being treated like I don't exist, and Sam and I are here for the same reasons! Because we _care_ about you, and you BETTER REMEMBER IT!"

"Lara," he said weakly, staring at her, but she had got up, and stalked across the marshes, setting up camp rather early for the day.

..........

_Frodo sat, clutching his chest with one hand, as he normally did when the Ring was haunting him. "Frodo?" Lara knelt down and put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, a huge, ugly bruise on his cheek. Something flashed, and then suddenly, he was falling, into fire, but the Ring wasn't. The Ring was fine, and not destroyed, but Frodo was falling..._

Lara sat up with a cry, breathing heavily. She had not spoken to Frodo or Sam since she had slapped Frodo earlier, but instead had eaten her meal and gone straight to bed. But now she was awake before dawn, all because of a stupid dream, probably triggered by her guilt. Indeed, before she had gone to bed, she had taken a glance at Frodo, and saw he was now sporting an ugly bruise on his cheek.

That's about when Lara started to regret slapping her best friend.

She began to cry, hugging her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth, trying to be quiet about it as the other two were still sleeping. "Lara?" She whipped around to see Frodo sitting up, staring at her and looking uncertain. Okay, so he hadn't been sleeping. "What's wrong?" He looked tired, so tired, and concerned.

Lara tried to control her flow of thick tears, but they were blurring her vision to the point where she could only see Frodo's outline, and the bruise on his cheek. It seemed to pop out at her. "I'm sorry I slapped you," she choked out, and then Frodo was next to her, and she was buried in his shoulder. How was it that even in the wilderness, when all of them were so disgusting, Frodo still managed to smell so lovely? Just like the Shire. She breathed in, taking in the scent of his soft hair, and sobbed onto his shoulder.

"Is that why you are crying?" He sounded exasperated, and a little amused.

"Yes," she sobbed. "And I had a dream."

He did not inquire what it was about, but she felt him tense, and he said, "I am sorry." He leaned back to look at her, and her lip trembled at the sight of his cheek.

On an impulse, she reached out and touched it lightly. "Look what I did to you. And I'm _supposed_ to be helping you."

He touched his cheek as well, but didn't comment. He looked away, at Gollum, who was sitting and staring at them, wide awake. His eye had a strange glint in it, and he was staring at Frodo. "What?" Frodo sighed to Gollum.

"Master should be resting," Gollum muttered.

"So should you," Frodo replied, with a look at both Gollum and Lara.

"Right," she muttered.

His blue eyes burned at her for a moment, and it was glorious. "You _do_ help me, you know," he said. He stood up and kissed the top of her head. "Get some sleep." And with that, he went back to his spot and lay down. Lara drifted off to sleep as soon as she could, but was awake within minutes again. She heard Frodo and Gollum arguing over something, but couldn't quite make out their words.

And then, suddenly, there was a loud squeal, something she had thought she would never hear again. A Black Rider.

Dawn was approaching, and the sky was turning green with the coming sunset. Gollum shrieked and looked around, and Sam leaped up. "Black Riders!" he shouted. "Hide!"

But Lara was not paying him much attention. Frodo was on the ground, clutching his shoulder and yelling like he was on fire. "Frodo!" She ran over to him. "Up, up, get up!" she cried desperately. She half-dragged, half-carried him to the bushes with Sam's help, and they all lay crouched there, waiting for the Rider to pass. Lara glanced up into the sky and her jaw almost dropped. They weren't using horses anymore. They were using bizarre, dragon-like creatures she had never seen in her life.

But something wasn't right. Hadn't Aragorn thrown fire at them the last time Lara had seen the Black Riders? Shouldn't they be dead? Sam voiced her opinion before she could. "I thought they were dead!" he said, to Gollum.

"Dead? No, you can not kill them, no," Gollum said.

Fantastic.

The squeal came again, and Lara took a peek at Frodo as the Rider swooped low, and Gollum shrieked, "Wraiths! Wraiths on wings!" Frodo's eyes were rolling back in his head, as if he were in a trance. He began reaching for the Ring ever so slowly. Gollum turned back to them, and hissed, "They are calling for it. They are calling for the Precious!"

Lara didn't know as much as she would like to, but she knew enough to look at Frodo once more, and grab his hand to stop him from grabbing the Ring and putting it on. She held his hand firmly. He was whimpering, and that frightened Lara. "It will be all right, Frodo," she murmured, half wondering if he could hear her. One of his eyes was swollen almost shut from his cheek, and she winced.

The Black Rider swooped away a few seconds later, and Frodo sat up, seeming to be over his trance. "Hurry Hobbits," Gollum was saying. "The Black Gate is very close."

..........

It was another day and a half before they finally made it to the Black Gate. They reached the side of a mountain with lots of rocks, which they used for leverage to get to the top. That took longer than they expected, and Gollum reached the top first. They heard him say, "The Black Gate of Mordor!"

"Oh save us," Sam whispered, hurrying forward to the edge and crouching behind another rock. Gollum was sitting with his hands covering his face. Lara was trying hard not to think about what that meant. Frodo followed Sam, and Lara followed Frodo, and Gollum slunk behind them. They sat, staring at the gate from up on the mountain and behind the rocks. "My old Gaffer would have a thing or two to say if he could see us now," Sam muttered.

"So would Merry and Pippin," Lara said, wishing they were here and wondering if they were all right. Frodo glanced at her, but said nothing.

"Master says to show him the way into Mordor," Gollum said, crawling forward a little. "So good Smeagol does what Master says so."

"I did," Frodo said, looking and sounding dazed.

Gollum again went back to covering his face with his hands, and Sam turned to Lara and Frodo. "That's it, then," Sam said. "We can't get past that." No sooner had he said that then they heard a shout, like a chant, and the sound of many marching feet. They looked below, and coming from the Road was an army, their shields and armour clanging loudly as they walked. One of them was chanting in another language Lara did not understand, and the Hobbits suddenly heard a horn.

Another horn echoed it, and suddenly, the Gate began to open. Lara couldn't believe her eyes. "The Gate! It's opening!" she whispered.

Sam was leaning forward over the rock. "I can see a way down!" Sam said excitedly, before the rock he was on toppled forward and he rolled down the hill.

"Sam!" Lara shrieked.

Frodo shouted, "Sam, no!" but it was too late. Immediately, Frodo got up and slid down the hill, Lara following. Two from the army seemed to notice the dirt from their progress, and were making their way over. Quickly, Lara and Frodo slid down to Sam. They got to him, and he was stuck in the ground; there was no time to get him out. Frodo and Lara struggled to pull him, but he didn't budge.

Frodo grabbed Lara's arm and pulled, so she was smashed with her back to him, her head against his chest, and then she felt him flip his Elven cloak over them. Lara could see their feet from under the cloak, but they obviously couldn't tell it was a cloak. Little did the Hobbits know they were concealed very well, because it looked exactly like a large rock.

After a few more suspenseful seconds, they were heard to be marching away. Frodo flipped the cloak off of them, and together, Lara and Frodo were able to pull Sam out of the ground. A drum started beating, and the Hobbits immediately crouched behind another rock and peered at the gate, readying themselves to go. "I do not ask you to come with me," Frodo said suddenly.

"I know, Mr. Frodo."

"We're coming," Lara said firmly.

Frodo took one glance at her, a milla second long, but it was enough for Lara to see anguish and regret in his eyes. Then he turned back to the Gate, and Frodo waited.

Finally, he shouted, "Now!"


	18. Captured

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a/n- Hello all! Once again, I'm very pleased with the number of reviewers last chapter! :) It's really inspiring me to write! The only reason this update came a little later than usual is because I have been very busy, and I'm also working on a movie trailer for this fanfic that I will put up on Youtube. I will let you know when that gets up...hopefully I can stick with it and finish it.

**Also, the next few chapters will be pretty darn fluffy, if I do say so myself (I know you are all saying YAY!) But that's because something will happen that will end the fluff for the time being, in oh...say...Chapter 20 or so. Might be 21. Not quite sure yet. ANYHOO, just had to give you that little bit of information to get you wondering and pulling out your hair! Hehe. Now, on with the chapter! Hope you all enjoy!**

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Reviewers:

**JainaZekk621**: Thank you!! :D

**Killer of MarySues**: I'm glad you love my story, even considering your name haha...(my character is a smidge Mary Sueish :S) Haha, but I'm glad you like it!! :D Thanks for reviewing!

**coconut994777- **haha Ringwraiths screaming like fangirls...that image gave me a sideache, I was laughing so hard. We are such nerds :P How do you do a fanfic together? I've never heard of that! Haha well yayyy glad you liked the chappie, hopefully this one is ok as well...it's not my favorite but it will do :) Lots of fluff coming up in the next three chapters or so! :)

**ShortHappens**- haha YES i am certainly on a roll, I'm trying to haul out the updates as long as I'm riding this weird high for this story! i just went back and read that sentence and i think it makes no sense at all but I don't care. Hehe. Thank you once again my friend, and enjoy the coming chapters and the FLUFF! :D

**Princesa de Luna**- WOW thanks for reviewing all my chapters! I can try and get around to those stories (I'm awfully busy and I have no idea what they would be about) but I will certainly if I have time. I am also working on the trailer :) Thank you for PM'ing me about this story too, it made me hustle even more to get it done. Thank you! Hope you enjoy!

**marc**- anonymous reviewer...thank you!!!

**storyreaderlovespie**- another anonymous reviewer.....thanks so much for reviewing!

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**Chapter 18 **

**Captured**

_"I thought we had to go get Esmeralda!" Lara exclaimed, as Frodo pulled her along down the lane._

_"She takes too long," Frodo muttered, pressing forward quickly. "It will be faster if we just go now."_

_Lara had to admit the truth in this. By the time Esmeralda called for a carriage, and it actually arrived, they could be halfway there on foot. Lara and Frodo were fast, and luckily, knew how to hurry. It seemed that thievery at Farmer Maggot's had paid off after all. They were huffing and puffing, but continued on well into the afternoon. They stayed near the road, and were getting nearer as dusk approached. "Come on," Frodo said, pulling Lara over to the side of the road._

_"Wh-what are we d-doing?" she gasped, trying to catch her breath._

_"Taking a short break," he replied. He plopped onto the grass and lay on his back. "We're almost there, I think. We will make it before dark."_

_"My feet are so tired," Lara moaned. The had been going mostly non-stop all day, minus two other breaks here and there. They had met no travelers on the road--until now. Of course, when it was dark. Something about the way the Hobbit approached seemed menacing, but maybe Lara was just paranoid. Nevertheless, she shook Frodo's arm. He sat up, saw the stranger, and scrambled to his feet._

_Lara was just beginning to think of how her parents would kill her for coming all this way without an adult when the lad approached. He looked to be an adult with dark hair, and he was leering at them. "Where are you youngsters headed this time of night?" he asked, in a slick voice. Lara closed her eyes and willed herself not to scream._

_"Nowhere of your concern," Frodo said coldly. She felt his hand slip around hers._

_"Are you lost, pretty?" The lad was looking at Lara now, and she shook her head furiously. "Are you sure you don't need to come with me? I can help you find your way."_

_At these words, Frodo made a noise deep in his chest, almost like a growl. The man actually took a surprised step back before smiling. "Well, never you mind. I was just trying to help you out." He stumbled off down the lane. And that's when Lara's legs gave out._

_"Lara!" Frodo's hands were on her upper arms, half supporting her, as he helped her stand up again. "Are you all right?" She nodded shakily, and willed herself not to cry. She was doing pretty good so far. "He was drunk," Frodo said disgustedly, "but I don't think he was going to harm us. Let's just not tell any of the adults about this. They're already going to--"_

_"Kill us because we came alone? Yeah, I know," she finished for him. He had not let go of her hand, and was now pulling her down the road once more. They had not gone much furthur when Lara spoke up again, tentatively. "Do you think that Merry is all right?" she asked quietly. All she saw was a flash of blue as Frodo looked back at her, but she couldn't read the expression on his face._

_"I'm sure he's fine," he said gently._

_It wasn't long before they saw a dim glare of little lights, and then the outline of a building. Dark was approaching fast now, and Lara had never been happier to arrive at a destination. They opened the door rather timidly, and a Hobbit lass was sitting at a desk in front of them. The little room was rather small, but she stood up. "We've been expecting you, if you are Lara," the lass said._

_Lara nodded and spoke up. "Yes, I am."_

_"Your mother is in the back room with the doctor. I will go tell the doctor you have arrived, but I think you will have to stay out in this room." She looked apologetic. "She's having the baby, you see."_

_Lara sat down abruptly in the armchair. Frodo looked at her as the woman walked away but Lara stared determinedly at the wall. Frodo touched her cheek. "You look pale," he said quietly._

_"It's not supposed to be here yet," Lara said. "It's only June."_

_The next few hours were long. Lara moved over to the couch to sit by Frodo, and they sat numbly, not talking much. She half expected her other friends to arrive, but no one else did. In the wee hours of the morning, Lara found herself nodding off to sleep. She fought valiantly, but to no avail. The next thing she knew, she was awake. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows and she found she had been snoozing on Frodo's shoulder._

_He was still fast asleep, and she got up slowly so she wouldn't wake him. The woman at the desk smiled at her, but it was all wrong. Her eyes were sad. "You are awake," she said. "You may go back in the room if you like."_

_Lara opened her mouth to ask a million questions, but then just decided it would be better to go see everything for herself. Was the baby all right? Was her mother all right? Did she have a brother or a sister? Which would she like more? These questions flew through her head in quick succession before she came to the doorway and skidded to a halt._

_She could tell something was wrong as soon as she stepped into the doorway. Her mother's face was red with tears, and her father looked tired, and grim. He stepped over immediately and gave her a hug. "Wh-what's wrong?" Lara asked into his shoulder. "Where's the baby?"_

_She leaned back and looked at him. Her father sighed, and her mother burst into tears. "Lara..." her father said awkwardly, and then glanced at the doorway. Frodo was standing there, watching the scene carefully, but Lara's father seemed to think it was all right to continue. "Lara, the baby wasn't supposed to be born this early. It's heart and lungs weren't fully developed. He didn't make it."_

* * *

_"Now!"_

The trio leaped forward to hurtle the rock and dash towards the Gate, but Lara felt a firm grip on her wrist, and then she was yanked back into place. "NO!" she heard Gollum screech loudly. "No! No master!" he was saying to Frodo as Gollum scrambled up. Frodo tried desperately to leap away again, but Gollum caught him once more. "They catch you! They catch you! Don't take it to him!" Gollum wailed.

That made Frodo pause and stare at Gollum. "He wants the precious. Always he is looking for it. And the precious is wanting to go back to him." His voice lowered to a growl. "But we musn't let him have it," Gollum said fiercely.

There was the sound of distant horns, and they looked at the last bit of the army marching into the gates, and the door beginning to close. Seeing this, Frodo seemed to panic, and went to run forward for the last time, but Gollum grabbed him and held his arm. "No! There's another way! More secret...a dark way." Frodo glanced at the Gate again.

"Why haven't you spoken of this before?!" Sam shouted.

"Because master did not ask!" Golllum pleaded, looking back at Frodo. Like Sam, Lara could feel that something was wrong, but she kept silent and watched Frodo figure everything out.

"He's up to something," Sam said to Frodo harshly.

"Are you saying there's another way into Mordor?" Frodo asked Gollum.

"Yes. There's a path...and some stairs...and then...tunnel." Gollum kept a firm grip on Frodo's arm until the Gate closed, and then everyone relaxed. Frodo seemed defeated, and he looked over at Sam.

"He's led us this far, Sam," Frodo said.

"Mr. Frodo, no," Sam begged.

"He's been true to his word," Frodo said firmly.

"_No_," Sam repeated.

"Lead the way, Smeagol," Frodo said quietly.

"Good Smeagol...always helps," Gollum hissed quite happily, turning to dash off in the new direction. The Hobbits began to follow wearily.

* * *

The Hobbits came to a River some days later, and there was now nice trees and shrubs along the way. The journey now was much more agreeable than it had been in Emyn Muil or the marshes and Lara couldn't help but become cautiously optimistic that things would get better from here. She found herself wondering if this task wasn't so impossible after all; that, with her and Sam's help, Frodo could destroy the Ring.

She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice a particularly large rock in front of her. She tripped over it loudly, and tried hard not to cry out. The others were in front of her, and so she didn't think they had heard, but then Frodo paused and turned around. He hurried over and pulled her up. "Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

She stared into his eyes. "Y-yeah," she stuttered. She couldn't remember ever having a stuttering problem.

Gollum was in the River, splashing and making lots of noise in trying to catch a fish to eat. "Hey stinker, don't be getting too far ahead!" Sam called after him. At these words, Frodo took one last look at Lara and marched over to Sam.

"Why do you do that?" Frodo demanded. Lara quietly made her way behind them to be in the conversation.

"Do what?"

"Call him names. Run him down all the time." Frodo was angry.

"Because," Sam said. "Because that's what he is, Mr. Frodo. There's naught left him in him but lies and deceit. It's the Ring he wants. That's all he cares about."

Lara cringed inwardly. Sam and Frodo never fought, but she didn't have a good feeling about Sam's statements. "You have no idea what it did to him," Frodo said, and his voice was not raised. Lara felt a bit relieved. "What it's still doing to him." He stepped past Sam and Lara, and looked at Smeagol sadly, who was in the River with his fish. He smiled proudly with it in his mouth. "I want to help him, Sam."

"Why?" Sam whispered.

"Because I have to believe he can come back," Frodo said.

Sam stepped up two paces behind Frodo, but Lara trailed nervously behind him this time. "You can't save him, Mr. Frodo," Sam said gently.

Frodo whipped around. "What do you know about it?" he shouted harshly. "Nothing!" Lara blinked and took a few steps back, away from their fight. Frodo seemed to take a deep breath and realize what he said as Sam went to walk past him. "I'm sorry, Sam," Frodo said quietly. And when he spoke his voice was back to his regular tone. "I don't know why I said that."

Sam turned back around. "Well I do. It's the Ring. You can't take your eyes off it. I've seen you." Lara chanced a glance at Frodo's face, and was not glad she did. His face was absolutely murderous.

"Sam," she tried in a whisper. "Sam, stop..."

But Sam paid her no attention. "You're not eating," he continued, staring at Frodo. "You barely sleep. It's taken a hold of you, Mr. Frodo. You have to fight it!"

"I know what I have to do, Sam!" This was yet another side of Frodo Lara had never seen. She had seen the cold Frodo, and the scared Frodo, and an angry Frodo. But this Frodo was violent, and downright frightening. His voice was a shout as he continued. "The Ring was entrusted to me. It's my task! Mine! My own!" He marched past Sam and stormed off, into the trees.

"Can't you hear yourself?" Sam called after him. "Don't you know who you sound like?!" But Frodo had disappeared into the brush. Sam sighed and turned to Lara. He frowned. "Now don't you look at me like that, Miss Lara. He needed to hear it."

"Oh, Sam I hate when people fight, and you two just _shouldn't_!" she said, covering her face with her hands.

Sam stepped forward and gave her a hug. "Don't you worry, Miss Lara. He will come around. You and I will take care of him all right."

That night was a long one, but eventually Sam and Frodo got back to speaking terms once more. Though it wasn't quite the same, and for the most part silences were stiff and awkward, the next morning came without any furthur incidents. Lara was feeling stuck in the middle. They had traveled even farthur into the woods that day, and were taking a short break at noon.

Frodo was sitting on the ground looking defeated, legs sprawled out in front of him, and Sam was preparing a fire. Lara walked over to Frodo and pointed at the ground next to him. "Can I sit here?" she asked.

At first she thought he wasn't going to answer, but then he glanced up at her and nodded wearily. All the exhaustion on his face made Lara's heart break, and she sat down next to him and scooted close without thinking. "You look exhausted," she whispered. He sighed and tilted his head to the side so it was resting on her shoulder. Lara was overcome with the irresistible urge to stroke his hair, but before she could act on the impulse, Frodo's head was lurching up at the sight of two dead rabbits on his lap.

"Look! Look! See what Smeagol finds!" Gollum announced shrilly, and grinning proudly at his catch. He began dancing in a circle and cackling with happiness, and Frodo looked up at Sam, smiling. Sam did not return it, but looked at Gollum sourly. Gollum finished his little victory dance and stepped forward. "They are young," he said, grabbing a rabbit and wrenching it's neck violently.

Lara covered her mouth with a gasp, and Frodo jumped, but Gollum did not seem to notice. "They are tender! Eat them, eat them!" He was biting into the neck when Sam stepped forward and grabbed the rabbits. "You'll make him sick you will!" he shouted. "Behavin' like that!" He stood up and held them. "There's only one way to eat a brace of coonies."

It was some time later that Sam had the rabbits cooking in a pot, as a stew. Gollum was wailing, and he and Sam were bickering. Lara was not listening to their conversation, but watching Frodo. Suddenly, Frodo looked up and around the woods, as if hearing something. And then he wandered off in the direction of the trees. Thinking it was probably unwise to let him do this, she followed.

"Frodo?" she whispered, stalking through the trees like a cat. She had a bad feeling about what she was doing. She faintly heard Sam's voice call their names, and knew that Sam would follow as well. She finally caught up to Frodo as he was lying on the ground, on the edge of a very steep hill. It looked down into a little valley, and Lara ducked and shimmied up next to him, making as little noise as possible, because there was an army marching through the valley.

Gollum and Sam appeared next to her, but neither she nor Frodo tore their glances away. "Who are they?" Lara asked finally, and it was Gollum who answered.

"Wicked Men," he hissed. "Servants of Sauron. They are called to Mordor. The Dark One is gathering all armies to him. It won't be long now. He will soon be ready."

"Ready to do what?" Sam asked, in a hushed tone.

"To make his war. The last war that will cover all the world in Shadow."

"We've got to get moving," Frodo murmured quietly, his voice panicked. "Come on." He took Lara's wrist and tugged, and then glanced at Sam, but Sam was still looking at the valley. "Mr. Frodo, Lara, look! It's an oliphaunt!!"

Lara had heard stories of these immense creatures, but there was large debate in the Shire as to whether they were real. But she could see clearly now, with her own eyes, that they were. She fought the strange urge to laugh in amazement at them, with huge things on their backs, carrying Men. None of the Hobbits could tear their gaze away. "No one at home will believe this," Sam whispered.

There was a chirp of a bird, and Gollum suddenly slunk away. "Smeagol?" Frodo asked quietly, but then everything started happening quickly after that.

There were arrows flying in the valley; an attack was being made on these Wicked Men, and the three Hobbits hunkered lower to the ground, to frozen to move. The olipahunts were standing still and shaking around, roaring, and men were falling off of them. It was odd to see now visible means of attack, but just arrows, that were causing deaths. An oliphaunt came charging at them suddenly, right towards their cliff.

A man had been hit suddenly by an arrow, and he flew off the top basket and landed some feet behind them, dead.

Lara found she had been clutching Frodo's arm rather tightly, and released him a bit. "We've lingered here too long," Frodo said, getting up. Lara was already ahead of him, dashing away back to their camp. Something told her that they needed to get out of here. "Come on, Sam!" she heard Frodo hiss behind her, and she turned her head while she was running to make sure that he was still following.

Unfortunately, she plowed right into another solid body.

Surprised, she looked around, and then up to a very large Man standing in front of her. She screamed loudly. He grabbed her arm, quickly and painfully. She desperately tried to struggle, but he wrenched her wrist around and she gasped in pain and was lowered to the ground. She became aware that Sam and Frodo were there as well now, and Frodo was dashing at the man who was holding her.

But another man stepped up from behind, throwing Sam down and putting his sword to his throat. Frodo fought back furiously, but was picked up and clean thrown on his back. He struggled up once more, but eventually a man pinned him with his arm. "Wait!" Sam called. "We're innocent travelers!"

"There are no travelers in this land," one of the men said. He was very tall, with fair hair, a deep voice, and a hood on. "Only Servants of the Dark Tower."

Lara tried once more to move, but the man held her firmly. She cried out at the pain in her wrist; she was fairly certain it was twisted. "We are bound to an errand of secrecy," Frodo said, and Lara admired his bravery in speaking up. "Those who claim to oppose the enemy would do well not to hinder us!"

"The enemy?" The man looked down at the dead man on the ground and turned him over with his foot. There was blood trickling from his mouth--Lara flinched. "His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem," the man continued. "You wonder what his name is...where he came from. And if he was really evil at heart. What lies or threats led him on this long march from home. If he would not rather have stayed there...in peace."

He turned back to the little group. Sam was still lying on the ground, Frodo was standing but still held by a man, and Lara was in an awkward kneeling position. "War will make corpses of us all," the man said. "Bind their hands," he muttered.

Lara got one glimpse of Frodo looking at her before she was lifted from the ground and thrown over a man's shoulder, and she wondered how they were going to get out of this mess.

* * *

**So I'm curious...what's y'alls favorite part of this story?? Just a weird random question, and hey feel free to answer or not, idk :P Or favorite part of this chapter? Favorite chapter? Haha ok I shall promptly shut up now! Thanks for reading...now review! :D**


	19. Captain Faramir

**a/n- Yeah...it's been way too long :S I will try to keep working on this. I hope all my reviewers can still enjoy it even though it has been so long! The story is going to be longer than estimated before I think...I keep dragging it out :) Thanks for everyone who reviewed and PM'ed to me about continuing this story, it really motivated me!**

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Reviewers:

**JainaZekk621**- Thank you so much! :D

**ShortHappens**- Sorry it has been so long! :S I liked your reviewing form in the last review you left :) And you shall get some major fluff next chapter...and a little bit this one too )

**coconut994777**- I hope you are still around to read my story! If not, I will miss your reviews! If you do read, I hope you enjoy this chappie :)

**Princesa de Luna**- Thank you for the review, and all the PM's asking me to continue the story! Hope you enjoy!

**youronlydol**l- Well I'm glad you don't think it is too cliche! (I think it is cliche haha, but I have fun writing it, so I just post it :)) I am glad Lara is also not too Mary-Sueish and things aren't happening to fast! Yay! Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

**ThePersonWithTheReallyLongName**- Haha, yeah bound to be sueish...I just have a great time writing it, and if people think it is too cliche or Mary Sueish, then oh well! I'm glad you think it is still doing ok. Thanks for reviewing!

**poakkis**- Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well...the flashback is the main part of it, and you said you liked those :)

**Eruanna Undomiel**- Thank you very much :D Enjoy this chapter as well, and thanks for reviewing!

**bayumlikedayum**- Wow, thank you very much! :) I'm afraid I don't understand your criticism :S With funny flashbacks, do you mean flashbacks that make you laugh? If that is it, there won't be any more of those :) Hope you enjoy the chapter!!

**PhoenixFeatherQueens**- Thanks!! :) I didn't really update soon like you hoped... :S But i hope to me more on track with it after that! Enjoy! :)

**ULTIMATE-OTAKU-47-11**- A kiss or romantic hug, huh? Well...you will have to wait and see ;) Thanks for the review!!

**Midaria**- You said you hoped to see more romance, and I can promise that you will! Thanks, hope you enjoy! :)

**Girl who loves 2 read (Willow Sage Rose)- **I think I explained a Mary Sue to you already over PM when I beta read for you...if not, let me know and i will explain (you asked in your review) :). I didn't write more soon, but I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks :)

**anna**- Well if you were begging on your knees, then that must mean you really like it hahaha, thanks ;) Well I hope you enjoy this, and I'm glad you think my stories are the best! I will try and update this sooner and finish it, gosh darnit! :)

**Nichole**- Thank you :)

Chapter 19

Captain Faramir

_"Wha-what?" Lara stuttered, not quite sure she had heard her father correctly. "H-He didn't m-make..." She suddenly wondered what they had done with the dead baby, and that was when black began to close around her eyelids. She must have swayed, because her father caught her and steadied her. Frodo was there in an instant, his big, baby blue eyes alight with concern and sadness._

_"Lara?" he murmured quietly. "Are you all right?"_

_"Yes," she said, in what she thought was a strong voice. Her father and Frodo must have not agreed, because she noticed them glance at each other. The front door of the little building slammed, and Frodo looked at Lara regretfully and turned to go see who it was._

_"Lara," her father said from behind her, "why don't you follow Frodo? Give your mother and I a few moments please." Lara almost sprinted out of the room in her desperation to get away, as if the soul of her dead sibling would haunt her if she stayed inside the room too long. Merry, his lip still slightly puffy, bounded inside the room followed on his heels by Pippin, and then Bilbo some ways behind. Bilbo looked tired, as if he was having a hard time keeping up with the pair._

_"Where is he?" Pippin called grandly. "I can't wait to babysit the little bugger when he gets older--" Lara let out a sharp exhale._

_"Pippin!" Frodo's voice was the sharpest Lara had ever heard it, and he threw Pippin a glare, and then glanced her direction. Pippin looked between the two, and seemed to gain comprehension from their faces. He quieted down immediately, and stared at the floor. Merry's lip puffed out even more in concentration, as if sending a brainwave to Frodo to ask what was wrong. Lara felt out of place. The last time she remembered feeling like this was when Frodo had first arrived, and how uncomfortable she had felt._

_And this was the same. She mumbled an excuse about needing some air and darted outside to give them their much desired information._

_As soon as she was gone, Frodo immediately turned on Pippin. "What is wrong with you?" he hissed. "Couldn't you tell by her face that something was wrong?"_

_"Frodo, my lad, no need to be harsh," Bilbo said gently. "Please tell us what is wrong, and then one of you needs to go after Lara."_

_"The baby is dead," Frodo said grimly. "It was too early. The heart and lungs weren't developed." There was a cautious silence, in which no one knew quite what to say, and Pippin still stared determinedly at the floor, his eyes full of sadness and regret._

_"Frodo, I had no idea--" he started quietly._

_"Don't apologize to me!" Frodo spat. "Apologize to Lara."_

_Pippin started out the door, but Bilbo called him back. "Not yet, Peregrin," Bilbo advised. "Frodo lad, you have been here all along, and therefore, you should be the one that goes to find her." Frodo didn't wait for him to finish the sentence; he was out the door in a flash._

_..._

_Lara, who was simply sitting on the soft ground quite a ways away from the little building, heard soft footsteps coming up behind her. She guessed it was one of her friends coming after her, and found herself wishing it was Frodo. She turned, but it was no one she was expecting. Her heart dropped a little when she saw that it was the same man that had intercepted she and Frodo's path on the road._

_The seedy-looking Hobbit was walking slowly up to her, and his step faltered when she noticed him, as if he had been trying to sneak up on her. But he recovered quickly and smiled, but it seemed like more of a leer to Lara. She was frozen in place; she did not even have the energy to scramble up and run. The Hobbit was still walking towards her, and something in her mind registered, when he was three steps away. Her mind registered too late, but she scrambled up and made to dart away._

_She felt herself being pulled in the Hobbit's vice-like grip, and a strong one he had too. He twisted slightly to make her lose her balance, and she cried out in pain. And then, more pain, as she knocked to the ground by another force; she rolled free from the man's grip to see that the force had been Frodo, jumping on the Hobbit's back. "Frodo!" she screamed._

_The man easily flipped them over, pinned Frodo with his knees, and punched his face. Frodo let out a yelp of pain that Lara found quite hard to bear. She dashed forward, grabbed the man's hair, and yanked with all her might. It threw him off a little bit, but then he just turned and slapped her across the face. She staggered. He punched Frodo two more times, until Frodo was disoriented, then he turned again to find Lara. She screamed, and turned to run the other way, but the man was too quick; he had her in his grip again. He picked her up._

_Frodo let out an inhuman sounding roar, and scrambled up. The man glanced at him, and so did Lara, and Frodo was standing there, his nose bleeding freely, his face beginning to bruise, brandishing a pocket knife. The man burst out laughing. "You going to hurt me with that, little Hobbit?"_

_"You think I'm bluffing?" Frodo snarled. He was positively livid, his eyes like blue fire, and yet like ice._

_"You can't throw that at me without hurting her," the man pointed out, holding Lara more in front of him. Lara knew this was her chance, and elbowed him in the stomach, hard. He dropped her for a moment, and Lara toppled to the ground and rolled away. Frodo sprang forward, and Lara looked up just in time to see him throw the knife down into the man's foot, a wild fire in his eyes she had never seen before._

_The man howled, and pulled the knife out of his foot. He raised it, but was then hit in the head with a rock. Merry and Pippin were dashing out now, arms filled with rocks, which they were firing as they ran. Merry scrambled to pick up the knife, and Bilbo was there in a heartbeat. The man could go nowhere. Lara abruptly began to cry._

_Frodo held up his hands and slowly walked towards her. "I won't hurt you, Lara," he said quietly. "Don't be afraid." He was still walking ever so slowly._

_"I-I'm not afraid of you," Lara sobbed._

_"I just plunged a knife into a man's foot," Frodo said strangely._

_"I d-don't care," she said, crying harder when she looked at his face, the bruises on his cheek and the dried blood. "I was scared for you..."_

_In a heartbeat, Frodo was there, his arms wrapped around her in comfort, and she was sobbing onto his shoulder. "I'm sorry if I frightened you, Lara," he murmured. "I couldn't let him take you when I was right here. He wanted you. I couldn't let him have you."_

_"Tha-thank you," she sniffed. "I was just frightened for y-you."_

_Frodo said nothing, just pulled her tighter to him and let her cry on his shoulder. Lara could smell his scent in her nose, his soft hair tickling her face, and she was glad Frodo was there. If it hadn't been for him..._

_Merry and Pippin were making their way over know, and Merry kneeled down and put his arm on her shoulder. "Lara, are you all right?"_

_She nodded furiously, needing to convince them that she was, while blinking some remaining tears from her eyes. "Of course she isn't all right," Frodo snapped at him, and Merry glared. "Come on Lara," Frodo said in a much gentler voice than he had just spoken in, "we need to get you home. Bilbo will order a carriage and you can stay at Bag End for the night. I don't want you staying here."_

_"What if her parents decide she needs to stay, Frodo? Is it up to you to decide?" Merry spat angrily._

_"I will convince them," Frodo said calmly. "She won't be staying in this town another hour." His voice was firm and determined, and he began to lead Lara inside. Pippin stayed behind to help Bilbo with the Hobbit--they were tying his hands with some rope--and Merry tagged along beside them, alternating between anxious glances at Lara, and furious glares at Frodo._

_Before she knew it, all the exhaustion and trauma of the day settled in on Lara. Once inside, Frodo helped her lie down on the couch, and disappeared into the backroom. Lara faintly felt Merry sit down on the edge of the seat, and rub her back, before she drifted off into blackness._

* * *

Lara squinted as the bag was pulled off of her head, and looked around. She, Sam, and Frodo were standing in a cave, and there were supplies and men everywhere. She noticed Frodo looking sideways at her, and she shared a long, anxious look with him. His expression did not change; he just stared at her blankly.

Their wrists were freed, and the Hobbits stood, half of everyone's size, rubbing their raw wrists conspicuously and watching the activity around the cave--waiting for something to happen.

The man that had captured them came marching up, staring directly at Frodo. Lara felt herself bristling immediately. "My men tell me that you are Orc spies," the man stated bluntly.

"Spies?" Sam cried indigantly. "Now wait just a minute."

"Well if you're not spies, then who are you?" No one spoke. Lara was afraid to speak for fear of saying something wrong. Sam seemed to be waiting for Frodo to say something. The man sat down and stared at them, nose flared. "Speak," he said sharply.

Frodo's voice contrasted with the other man's baratone; it made Lara relax. "We are Hobbits of the Shire," he said quietly. "Frodo Baggins is my name, and this is Samwise Gamgee, and Lara..." he trailed off, then glanced at her. "Brown." Lara frowned, but showed no sign that he had lied other than that. Why had Frodo lied about her last name?

The man paid no attention to Lara anyways. He was still staring at Sam. "Your bodyguard?" He asked Frodo, while still looking at Sam.

"His gardener," Sam sneered.

"And where is your skulking friend?" the man asked. Lara did not like the way he talked. As if he knew all of their secrets already. "That gangrel creature. He had an ill-favored look," the man finished.

Frodo's eyes were wide. "There was no other." Sam looked sideways at him, and the man was watching them carefully. Lara was almost certain he could tell Frodo was lying. It was quite obvious by their facial features; but she hoped and prayed that it was only because she knew them both so well. Frodo seemed anxious to change the subject. "We set out from Rivendell with seven companions. One, we lost in Moria."

Frodo's voice got darker, and Lara glanced at him. His face had fallen. But he continued. "Two were my kin. A Dwarf there was also. And an Elf, and two Men. Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and Boromir of Gondor."

The man's face got very intense, and he stared at Frodo, his eyes on fire. "You were a friend of Boromir?" His voice sounded strange.

Lara had no idea what Frodo would say. Perhaps this man was an enemy of Boromir, in which case he should tell him he was not. However, they might also be allies. She waited with bated breath for his answer.

"Yes," Frodo murmured. "For my part."

The man stood up and turned away for a second, and then turned back. "It will grieve you then, to learn that he is dead."

Sam's head whipped over to stare at Frodo, but Lara continued to watch the man skeptically. Was he lying? "Dead? How? When?" Frodo asked, his voice concerned.

"As one of his companions, I'd hoped you would tell me," the man said firmly.

Frodo's voice was even firmer, if not sharp. "If something has happened to Boromir, we would have you tell us."

"His horn washed up upon the riverbank, about six days past. It was cloven in two. But more than this, I know it in my heart. He was my brother." He looked very emotional, and Lara could tell the man was not lying now. She was glad they had this connection with him.

"What is your name?" she asked bluntly.

He looked at her in surprise, and perhaps a little amused. Lara could probably understand what that was coming from. She was sure women were quite below the big Men; the male Hobbits were even below the Women, and so Hobbit women were the bottom of the totem pole. The thought made her want to spit fire at him.

In spite of what he may have thought of her value, he bowed low to her. "Captain Faramir of Gondor, miss."

"Mhm," she said smartly. "And why won't you let us go?"

He just smiled down at her, looking even more amused, and Frodo looked frightened. He stepped in front of her ever so slightly. Faramir observed all this, still smiling, but saying nothing, he turned and walked away.

...

As the Hobbits were sleeping that night, Lara squeezed in between Sam and Frodo, she heard a deep voice above her. Faramir. Sam was sleeping, but she was not. She could tell Frodo was not either, but she shut her eyes and listened. "You must come with me. Now." Faramir said. She had no idea what to do, how to save Frodo. Were they whisking him away? She lay very still, and heard Frodo get up slowly, and the foosteps died away.

She waited a long time before she slowly opened her eyes. Without thinking, she got up to follow them. Unfortunately, she had no idea where they went, and the cave was large. She wandered around, quite lost.

Frodo, on the other hand, was returning some time later, to his bed. Gollum had been captured by Faramir, and he needed to tell Sam and Lara. But he returned to only Sam, snoring obviously. Frodo ran to Sam and shook him. "Sam! Sam!" he shouted, his voice desperate.

Sam woke up mid-snore. "Wha-what?" he stuttered, jerking awake and rubbing his eyes. He saw Frodo, wild-eyed, above him, and scrambled up immediately. "What is it, Mr. Frodo? What is it?"

"Where is she, Sam? Where is Lara?" Frodo asked, still shaking him.

"Frodo?"

Frodo turned and saw Lara standing there, looking bewildered. Frodo stood up from where he had been kneeling at Sam's side. "Where did you go?" he shouted furiously. "I thought they had taken you; why would you sneak off when we were asleep like that?" He was really very livid, and she glared at him.

"Don't act like you didn't sneak off too!" she shouted right back. "Faramir came and got you, and I tried to follow because I was afraid for you!"

Frodo was silenced. Instead of saying sorry, he slumped down against the barrel, and put his head back. He looked very weary. Lara rushed over, her heart full of pity. "I'm sorry for shouting at you," she murmured, touching his shoulder.

"Me too," he sighed, still not looking at her.

"We need to get out of here," Sam whispered. "You go," he said desperately to Frodo. "Go, now." Frodo just slowly looked at him, looking tired. "You can do it," Sam continued, crawling over so he was closer to Frodo and Lara. "Use the Ring, Mr. Frodo. Just this once. Put in on. Disappear."

"I can't," Frodo mumbled. "You were right, Sam. You tried to tell me....I'm sorry. The Ring is taking me." His eyes were filled with a horror of some far away place, a place that only Frodo could see. "If I put it on, he'll find me. He will see," he finished, almost breathlessly.

Lara choked back a sob. Sam started to say, "Mr. Frodo-", but the arrival of Faramir cut him off.

He drew his sword, and the Hobbits scrambled up.


	20. Gondor

**A/N~ This chapter should be a tiddle long. And angsty. Sorry :) The flasback is extremely short, because it is kind of like a little prologue...because it is the last one! That's right, the last one. I'm sorry for all those that these were your favorite, but I only planned to have them for 20 chapters, because after this bigger stuff starts happening in the War, and we need to focus on that :) Please let me know what you think of this chapter...I rather like it :)**

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Reviewers

**serbgirl**~ Ah yeah...I have a lot of people that wish that...well you will just have to see :) You may want to strangle me after this chapter though hahaha. Thanks for reviewing! :)

**Eruanna Undomiel**~ I'm glad you like the alternation between flashbacks and everything...short flashback this chapter, but I'm still pleased with it...I hope you like it! Thanks for reviewing! :)

**Midaria**~ Never lose hope haha! I WILL finish this eventually :) Thanks for the review!

**Princesa de Luna**~ Thanks, glad you liked it, and I hope you will like this one! And I started one, but I'm not very good with it :S I am finding it rather difficult. Of course, if you enjoy that sort of thing, you could totally make me a trailer, or find someone that wants to :) Only if you want...thanks for the review!

**Will Baggins**~ Glad you like it so much and that you want to STRANGLE Lara hahaha! I hope you like this one too, thanks so much for reviewing :)

**I3Hobbits**~ Ohh you read it awfully fast, well that's great, glad you enjoyed it so much :) Thanks for the review!

**RWolfe94**~ I like Hobbit OCs too :) I had to change it up a bit haha. Thanks so much for reviewing!

**VAM-Ninja**~ Thank you very much! I hope you like this chapter (it is rather dramatic ;)). And I will have to check your page out! Thanks again :)

**Cullen-78**~ Thanks, glad you enjoyed :)

**jewlz-sheridan**~ Thanks very much! Always makes me happy when I make the reader emotional :) This chapter is a pretty darn good emotion one too. Enjoy, and thanks again!

**ShortHappens**~ Of course I can rely on you to always review :) Thanks so much! I think you will like this chapter. I dedicate it to you for being the best reviewer ever! And it's very fluffy ;) Enjoy :D

**Isabeau Jones**~ Thanks very much! Enjoy this one :)

**Daisy**~ I didn't think you sounded mean :) I appreciate the tips and advice! I agree that Lara is too much the center of the story (and that makes her slightly Mary Sueish) but I enjoy writing this story so much that I just continue anyway ha! I hope this chapter is a little bit better with the stuff you said...anyway, I'm glad you still liked it overall, and once again, thank you! I always like constructive criticism for my writing :)

**KrisDawnRulez**~ Thanks so much for the review, glad you liked it so much :) Enjoy this one!

**Dark-Angel2596**~ Tension is the right word, all right! :) I thought about making a sequel...but I guess we will see what everyone thinks once the story is done! Glad you liked it, and thanks so much for your review!

**Willow Heidi Erickson**~ Hehe :) I finally updated though! And what can I say, I do like the protective Frodo :D And as to your question about Lara doing something big in the Quest...I would say not really :S Just because, mostly people say that she becomes too much of the story and stuff, when she is just an OC...which is somewhat true, so I try and tone down her part a little so it's about others too! But something big does happen this chapter :) Hope you like it, thanks again!

**bayumlikedayum**~ Haha yes, and another new chapter! Glad you liked it, and enjoy this one too. Thanks again! :)

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Chapter 20

Gondor

_It was two years later. The Hobbits were quickly approaching their tweens; Merry and Pippin's mischeivous schemes were only getting worse as they reached a sudden immaturity level that Lara found quite difficult to bear. She had been spending much more time alone lately, wandering the forest, wondering what it was like outside of Hobbiton. She came across a tree with a really perfect branch for reading one day-and she had been going to it every few days for a week or so when she got a surprise one afternoon._

_She was up in her branch, perfectly content and concealed, when she heard a rustling noise from below. She leaned over the tree branch to get a glimpse of the ground, and to her surprise and utter delight, Frodo was there, book in hand. She watched as he sank down and began to read, leaned against the base of the tree._

_She looked over even furthur, and then suddenly lost her center of balance. All in one instant, she came crashing down from the tree._

_Luckily, it wasn't very high, but she still landed with a resounding thump next to Frodo, who leaped up in shock. When he saw who it was, he rushed to her immediately. "Lara!" he helped her sit up. "Are you all right?"_

_"Yeah," she muttered. "Sorry, I was up in the tree and-"_

_"What were you doing up in the tree?" he asked incredulously. Lara did not know why he looked so surprised; she climbed trees all the time._

_"I was reading, because this is kind of my tree, and well, I heard you coming and looked over. I leaned too far and fell." She blushed a little. She did not mention that she wasn't going to reveal her presence to him._

_"Your reading tree?" Frodo asked, and then he smiled. "Well, may I share your reading tree with you, or is it a bit too full already?"_

_"Hmm," she said, pretending to think. "I suppose you can. If you are good."_

_He grinned and lightly yanked on her hair, and she slapped his wrist away with a giggle. "No more of that Mr. Baggins," she said firmly. _

_"Yes ma'am," he said stoutly, and settled in against the trunk again. She sat down next to him, and they sat rather close. They continued to read like this almost every day, just with the other. They were perfectly content to sit and talk, or even just read in silence, just happy to be in the other one's company._

* * *

"So," Faramir began, sword still pointing straight at Frodo. "This is the answer to all the riddles." He advanced slowly, and his voice got lower, creepier. "Here in the Wild I have you...three Halflings...and a host of men at my call." He had walked forward so that Frodo was now pressed up flat against the rock wall, attempting to back away from him. "The Ring of Power within my grasp." He used the tip of his sword to dangle it on its necklace.

Lara glanced at Sam, wondering what to do, but he was just watching the exchange, looking frightened. And, though she hated to admit it, there wasn't much they could do in this situation.

Faramir lowered his voice to a whisper. "A chance for Faramir, captain of Gondor, to show his quality." He stared at the Ring, quite transfixed, and something odd was beginning to happen to Frodo as well. His eyes rolled into his sockets until they were closed, and he clutched the rock behind him.

"NO!"

Everyone jumped as Frodo screamed the word. He desperately pushed Faramir's hand and sword away, and dashed over to the corner, where he sat, facing the wall and breathing heavily. Sam, whose eyes had been on Frodo, turned back to Faramir. "Stop it!" he exclaimed finally. "Leave him alone! Don't you understand? He's got to destroy it. That's where we are going. Into Mordor-to the Mountain of Fire!"

A man came up and whispered something into Faramir's ear-Lara watched Faramir apparently thinking painfully hard. Quietly, she said, "Please. It's such a burden. Will you not help him?" The man was still waiting for an answer, and Faramir murmured something back. As the man moved away, Faramir addressed them both.

"The Ring will go to Gondor," he said forbiddingly.

* * *

As the Hobbits were forced to travel to Gondor, Lara found herself almost drifting off as she walked. She yearned for Merry and Pippin; their light-hearted spirits, and their jokes. Somehow she knew that if they were here, they would be able to cheer her up. She found herself constantly wondering what they were doing, or otherwise staring at the back of Frodo's head as they walked, watching him struggle along.

They approached a hill after a day and a half of walking; they were on grass, but it was hard and brittle, and as they came over the rise of the hill, they saw the white city. "Look!" One of the men said. "Osgiliath burns! Mordor has come."

Surprisingly, Frodo spoke up from in front of her as he looked at the city. "The Ring will not save Gondor," he said firmly. He turned backwards, to look at Faramir where he was standing, to the left of Lara and the right of Sam. Frodo's eyes looked teary, and his face was smudged with dirt-he looked exhausted. "It has only the power to destroy. Please. Let me go," he pleaded.

"Hurry!" Faramir shouted, pretending not to hear him.

"Faramir!" Frodo was screaming, as the Men all around them started picking the Hobbits up to move faster. "You must let me go!"

The marched into the city at late afternoon; it was already bustling with war activity. The man in front led the way, with Gollum at swordpiont, closely followed by Frodo, Sam, and then Lara, each with a man behind them with their hands on their shoulders, forcing them forward. Lara watched all the activity fearfully, and also with a morbid curiousity. Part of her wanted to be part of this action. To march off, carry a weapon, at least feel like she was doing something useful. The other part was just extremely frightened.

Rocks smashed into parts of the building, and a giant rock hit a pool of water near them. The splash was enormous, and they had to duck as they walked, scared they would be hit by something. The rocks continued to rain down upon them, and they passed through a line of men shooting arrows across the body of water. A man rushed up to Faramir, and the company stopped. Lara glanced at the other two. Frodo looked worn, and entirely out of it. Sam looked worried, and his jaw was set firmly.

"Faramir!" The man said. "Orcs have taken the eastern shore. Their numbers are too great. By nightfall we will be overrun."

"Mr. Frodo?" Lara leaned forward to hear Sam and Frodo's conversation better.

"It's calling to him Sam," Frodo muttered in a strained voice. "His Eye is almost on me."

From this, Lara deduced that Frodo was not quite himself at the moment, and this frightened her more than anything she had seen so far. She had relied on Frodo somehow; which had been foolish, considering he was carrying the Ring. Really, it should have been Sam she turned to. But Frodo's presence made her feel comforted-however if something was wrong with him, she immediately felt a panic in her heart.

She faintly heard Sam encourage him with many words, and then Faramir said, "Take them to my father. Tell him, Faramir sends a mighty gift." He then looked directly at Sam. "A weapon that will change our fortunes in this war."

Faramir turned his back, but Sam wrenched back with a vicious throw of an elbow. "Do you want to know what happened to Boromir?" he asked heatedly. "You want to know why your brother died?"

"Uh...Sam," Lara whispered anxiously, but he paid her no attention.

"He tried to take the Ring from Frodo, after swearing an oath to protect him! He tried to kill him! The Ring drove your brother mad!"

Faramir did not have long to look anguished and sad, because from far off, there was a loud yell of, 'Watch out!', and a rock catapulted into a high tower. It began to collapse, and crash down, but Lara was looking at Frodo. He was definitely not himself-his eyes were rolling, and he seemed as if in a trance. Finally, he said, so quietly that she barely could hear him over all of the noise, "They're here...they've come."

And then Lara heard it. The shrieking cry that she had hoped to never hear again-the Black Riders. "Nazgul!" Faramir shouted. The men were immediately thrown into a panic. They scattered like mice, and Faramir grabbed Frodo and pulled him with him. Sam and Lara hastened to follow once they saw what was going on. Gollum was separated from them. Faramir threw Frodo against a wall just as the other two rushed up. "Stay here," he said quickly, "Stay out of sight." Then he turned around and shouted, "Take cover!" and dashed off.

Frodo did not heed Faramir's instructions.

He slowly began to walk off, still as if in a trance. "What are you doing?" Sam asked. Frodo paid him no attention, but instead walked under the archway, right into the battle. "Where are you going?" Sam yelled after him.

He walked off, and they attempted to follow, but the going was difficult. They had to break through the battle and keep an eye on the shortest member out there; they lost track of him at one point, and then they spotted him, up on top of a flat roof, up a staircase, his cloak blowing in the wind, Ring in his fingers. He was looking up at the main Black Rider, staring directly into the face of the dragon it rode.

Lara's heart stopped, she could have sworn it. "FRODO!" she finally screamed, and Sam bellowed something unrecognizable, and the two began to sprint up the stairway towards him. She was faster than Sam, and reached him first. She tugged on him, but he tugged away with surprising force. Sam was finally there, and he yanked Frodo and Lara brutally to him, and pulled them down, just as the dragon was about to grab Frodo with his claws.

It was hit with an arrow, and careened backwards. The three rolled down in a ball to the ground, down the stairs. Lara bumped her head on every single step, and when they finally landed at the bottom, Frodo landed on top of Sam and she was thrown off to the side. Frodo let out a yell that she had never thought possible from him, and stuck his blade directly at Sam's throat.

"It's me," Sam whispered. Lara scrambled up and rushed over. Deciding at the last second that trying to touch Frodo to get him off Sam wasn't a good option, she tried to get him to look at her.

"Frodo," she murmured, and he finally looked up slowly, but he did not move the sword. "It's your Sam," she said to him, trying to keep her voice low so as not to frighten him. Frodo only responded by pushing the blade furthur; Sam was breathing hard, beads of sweat pouring down his face. Lara felt tears roll down hers. Who was this Hobbit? "Don't you know your Sam?" she said. "Don't you know me, Frodo?"

He looked resigned; the blade clattered to the ground, and he rolled off Sam to sit against a pillar, on the ground. Lara could see that his eyes were back to normal. They no longer looked crazed, but instead, worn and resigned. "I can't do this," Frodo murmured, and his voice was back to the way Lara was accostomed to-calm and mellow.

"I know," Sam whispered. "It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here." Lara looked around, and saw Gollum behind them-he must have made his way over. Sam stood up, and she caught Frodo's eye. He looked at her for a long second, and then held out his hand imploringly, and her heart almost broke. Not having the energy to stand up, she crawled over to him and took his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze.

He looked away from her, back at Sam, who was staring off into the horizon, away from them. "But we are," Sam continued. "It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really matter." Frodo was breathing hard, now looking down at the ground, half facing Lara. Tears continued to roll silently down her face as she watched his. "Full of darkness and danger they were," Sam said. "And sometimes you didn't want to know the end, because how could the end be happy?"

Lara felt Frodo's hand squeeze hers, and she looked up in surprise. He was staring at her, and he seemed to be concentrating painfully hard about something, thinking very fast. She wanted to ask him what it was, and yet she also wanted to hear what Sam had to say. She listened closely to hear Sam over the noises of the battle in the distance.

"How could the world go back to the way it was, when so much bad had happened?" Sam continued, his voice cracking somewhat. "But in the end, it is only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those are the stories that stayed with you, that meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why."

Lara choked back a sob, and laid her head on Frodo's shoulder without thinking. He did not move away, but did not return a gesture either.

"But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories, had a lot of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going...because they were holding onto something."

"What are we holding on to Sam?"

All of Frodo's pain and misery and burdens were apparent in his voice. That he had almost given up, that he wanted to turn back so badly. But Sam came over and kneeled in front of him. "That there is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for." He held out his hands-and each Frodo and Lara took one, and he tugged them both up. Lara gave Sam a watery and tearful smile. Even Gollum had fallen silent, listening.

Faramir appeared quite literally out of nowhere. Sam looked up, and Frodo and Lara turned to face him as well. Faramir kneeled down. "I think at last we understand one another, Frodo Baggins," he said, and his voice was kind.

"You know the laws of our country, the laws of your father," a man behind Faramir said, and Faramir stood up and faced him. "If you let them go, your life will be forfeit."

"Then it is forfeit," he said gravely. "Release them," he said firmly.

Frodo seemed too grateful for words, and Sam was grinning wildly. Faramir gave them a small smile, and beckoned to them. He led them through the city a ways, until they reached a tunnel. They were standing waist deep in water until they got there, and the beginning of the tunnel was river rock. It looked water free. "This is the old sewer," Faramir said. "It runs right under the river to the edge of the city. You'll find cover in the woods there."

"Captain Faramir," Sam said, "You have shown your quality, sir. The very highest." Lara nodded in fervent agreement.

"The Shire must truly be a great realm, Master Gamgee," Faramir said, looking a little amused. "Where gardeners are held in high honor. What road will you take once you reach the mountains?"

"Gollum says there's a path," Frodo spoke up. "Near Minus Morgul that climbs up into the mountains."

Lara coud not decide why Faramir looked suddenly alarmed. "Cirith Ungol?" He grabbed Gollum and choked him against a pillar. "Is that its name?" he asked fiercely.

"No...no..." Gollum said, but when Faramir choked him harder, he cried frantically, "Yes!"

"Frodo," Faramir said, "they saw a dark terror dwells in the passage above Minus Morgul. You can not go that way," he said urgently.

"It is the only way," Gollum insisted in a hiss. "Master says we must go to Mordor, so we must try."

Faramir looked to Frodo. "I must," Frodo said quietly. Faramir pursed his lips and threw Gollum to the ground viciously.

"Go Frodo," Faramir said. "Go with the goodwill of all Men."

"Thank you," Frodo murmured. Faramir threw Gollum one more vicious glare, and turned on his heel. Frodo now turned to Sam. "Sam," he said, "go on a little ways. We will catch up with you in a minute." Sam looked confused, and seemed to worry for Frodo's sanity again, but Frodo reassured him with a grim smile, and Sam nodded.

"Come on Gollum," Sam said, and with one last look back, stepped into the tunnel and headed in.

"Lara," Frodo said quietly. He hesitated.

"What is it Frodo? What is wrong?" Lara was instantly fearful.

"I need you to promise me something," he said, even quieter.

"Of course," she said, now even more frightened. "What?"

He seemed to struggle internally with himself. "Promise me," he whispered.

"I promise," she said anxiously. "Please tell me," she pleaded.

He took another deep breath. "Lara, I want you to stay here."

At first she thought he was kidding, and then she regarded his face, and it was clear he meant what he said. She felt like everything was falling around her-how could he ask to separate from her now? Did he want her gone? She repressed a sob. "Don't cry," he murmured, looking down.

"I won't promise to that," she snarled. "I'm coming." She tried to make her voice sound firm.

"You already promised," he reminded her.

"You tricked me into it Frodo Baggins, you mean, nasty, lying..." she couldn't think of words bad enough. "I'm coming with you, and that's final," she hissed angrily.

"Lara, the battle is dying down here. Faramir will keep you safe. You won't be safe with us. We might not..." he trailed off.

"Might not what?" she cried rather hysterically. "Come back?" The tears were rolling again, and they blurred her vision. "Frodo please," she begged. "I want to help. I want to be with you. Please don't ask me to go now."

He sucked in a deep breath. "I want you with me. But I would never forgive myself if you...if I let you come and then something happened..." He cut off, his voice dying in his throat. He closed his eyes, and his eyebrow was furrowed with the pain of it. "If you stay here, you have a better chance. Maybe Pippin and Merry will come through. I know that M-Merry will keep you safe," he said, and it looked as if it cost him everything he had to say it. He took yet another deep breath.

"Why are you saying this?" she whispered.

He took her face in his hands. "Because I have something here, between my hands, that is so important. I never want it to get harmed. I want it to be safe."

She was crying again, and she couldn't see-she felt Frodo's thumb wipe away some tears. "Please," he pleaded in a whisper. "Please stay here and be safe. Take care of yourself. Please do this."

"I don't think I ca-"

"For me."

Lara swallowed loudly, and sucked in another loud sob. She found that she was nodding, although she couldn't remember her muscles moving to make her do so. She was going numb. "I'll see you again," she cried out, gasping for breath, trying to convince herself. "I'll see you again. Be safe and I will see you soon. I will see you soon," she repeated, drilling it into her own head for the hopes that she would believe it.

She blinked away the tears. How ridiculous it was to waste her vision right now, her last time to look at him for a long time (she would not think the word 'forever'.) She stared at him, taking him in, trying to copy his wonderful blue eyes into her memory, and how they looked just now, so soft and caring...

"Lara..." he murmured, staring at her. "I must go. Be safe. Lara, I-I..." he trailed off. Instead of finishing his sentence, he leaned down and kissed her forehead very softly. "Goodbye."

"Frodo..." It came out as a beg, a whimper, and he just rubbed his thumb across her face one last time, gave her a smile, and took his hand away after it lingered for a moment. "Goodbye," she finally said, and she saw something in his eyes-the same pain and resignation she had seen earlier-before he turned and disappeared into the tunnel, looking back on her one last time before he rounded the bend.


	21. The Arrival

**a/n~ Guess what reviewers? You have helped me reach the 100th review mark! Kudos to you, and thanks so much for all your support! :) And I have to apologize for the previous terribly angsty chapter (I had 3 people inform me that they cried!), but I know y'all have got to love that drama, cause I know I love writin it :D I have good news and bad news...I know I always like hearing the bad news first so here it goes: I am going on vacation (I gotta leave eeeearly in the morning :O) until the 25th of July, with limited internet access. The good news: I have another chapter after this one already written :) I belted out two, because i love you guys :) So, if possible, I will try to post it while I am there, and if I can't, I will as soon as I get back! **

**And for all you curious plot people, you get some rather important information next chapter ;) Well something you probably already knew, but well, it is said! Thank you all once again! :D**

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Reviewers

**TheWhiteTigerAllia**~ aww I know...but it will get better for the poor girl, promise! Thanks for your review :)

**Isabeau Jones**~ Ah! You cried! Well glad the chapter made you that emotional! But glad it was the good sort of cry and you continue to love the story :) Enjoy this next chapter! Thanks again!

**ShortHappens**~ ohh gotta love the pjs and pints of B&J ha! Glad you loved your chapter! angsty to the max of course :) this one has angst in it too...so enjoy! Oh, and no worries about your reviews, illegible or legible, they are absolutely perfect :)

**coconut994777**~ hey! you're back...just as i'm leaving on vacation ha! glad you read this again, and liked it :) thanks for reviewing!

**RWolfe94**~ i always listen to music when i write, and the lord of the rings soundtracks are great inspiration! haha thanks for your review, hope you enjoy this next chapter! :)

**Remus san**~ cried, haha :) well I always love getting emotion out of the readers, that's kinda my job hehe. Thanks again...enjoy this one!

**Daisy**~ Glad you liked it! I really did try to work Sam in to that chapter more (that was the problem that bugged me the most ha!) Glad you enjoyed this one so much, and thanks! :) Thanks so much for your review, and enjoy this chapter!

**Dark-Angel2596**~ I know, I pouted a little too as I wrote it! I love writing their scenes, and not writing them will be flat out depressing! Haha im so glad you thought that when you watched the movie! LOL and thanks :) And as to your question...if she knows that she loves him, well you will find out in a couple of chapters or so ;) And to knowing if Frodo loves her, i suppose i can tell you that no, she doesn't know that :) Thanks for reviewing!

**Liv3NLove**~ Crying! Well glad you liked it! And I have been considering a sequel...I will ask everyone at the end of this story, because I'm not quite done yet! Still about oh, six or seven more chapters I would guess :) Enjoy, and thanks for your review!

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Chapter 21

The Arrival

Frodo found himself staggering before long.

He needed a distraction, anything now-how far had Sam gone? He needed Sam now, because Sam was the only one that could stop him, stop him from turning around, and sprinting back as fast as his short legs could carry him.

After about thirty more steps, he gave up on walking. He sank down to his knees, on the river rock, completely still. His internal battle was raging, between being incredibly selfish, or incredibly selfless. For once in a long time, he was not thinking of the Ring at all. It was nowhere near his thoughts as he sat, still unmoving, on the rocks, trying to get the strength in his legs to stand up again and move.

It was there that Sam found him, sometime later. Sam had decided that Frodo had taken too long, and he was worried about his master. He had rushed back through the tunnel, and there he was, head in his knees, kneeling on the ground, not moving. "Mr. Frodo!" Sam rushed over to him.

"Sam," Frodo gasped.

"Is it the Ring, Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked worriedly.

"Yes," Frodo muttered. It was not exactly a lie-the Ring now felt heavier than he had ever felt it, like it was taking his sadness and expanding it through his body, until he couldn't walk from the weight of it. Gollum appeared behind Sam, staring at Frodo with his luminous blue eyes.

"Mr. Frodo...where is Lara?" Sam inquired quietly, looking around.

"I-I told her to stay..."

Sam fell silent, staring at Frodo. He knew that this was what was affecting Frodo so greatly at the moment, and he thought about asking his reasoning behind his decision; but Frodo looked so worn and tired, and pale, that Sam did not ask him furthur questions, but instead just said gently, "She will be much safer here." Frodo nodded, unseeing. "That was a very good thing you did, Mr. Frodo. And who knows? Maybe Pippin or Merry will turn up," he continued.

Frodo's eyebrows and face contracted, as if the very sentence had caused him physical pain. Sam did not know what else to say, except, "Come on Mr. Frodo." He held out his hand. "We'd better get going," he said kindly.

"I don't know what I would do without you Sam," Frodo said faintly. He took Sam's rough hand, and Sam hoisted him up. Together, they began to walk off, out of the tunnel, and into the woods that led to Mordor.

* * *

"I feel like I'm back at the Green Dragon, after a hard day's work!" Pippin exclaimed victoriously.

"Only...you've never done a hard day's work, Pip." They both chuckled.

Merry and Pippin sat, at the gates of Isenguard, proudly smoking their pipes. After finding a storeroom full of food and Longbottom Leaf, and Isenguard had been defeated, their spirits had raised considerably. It seemed to them that the War was no longer upon them; the evil was, for now, gone, as their only encounters had been with Saruman. Here, where they were comfortably being fed and smoking, safe with Treebeard, it was extremely easy to forget about Sauron.

Of course, they would never forget their three friends, and wonder how they were. They found that mentioning them was painful, and so did not bring it up much, especially the idea that they might not make it-that was unthinkable, and unspeakable.

However, jokes were made and there were some light-hearted comments made about their three best friends, and this was one of those times.

"Well Pip," Merry said happily, "if Lara were here, we would be blowing the pipe in her face, and she would be telling us how disgusting it was."

Pippin chuckled. "Too right," he replied. His voice lowered a little, and became serious. "I do hope they are all still together and all right."

"They can take care of each other," Merry said, gazing off into the distance and looking thoughtful. "I hope that she is okay. I worry about her..." he trailed off. "But I tell myself I will see he-erm, them soon."

Pippin didn't say anything, although they were both thinking of the other option. The option where they would never see their friends again, or never hear news of them again. That would be worse than knowing of their deaths. Just sitting, always waiting for some news, wishing to hear something, anything, but nothing ever came...even years later...

Merry nudged Pippin. "Look," he said, grinning, and their joy at seeing the figures riding into Isenguard momentarily stifled their misery and worry. Pippin made a wild sound that was somewhere between a laugh and cry, raising his beer mug in joy. Merry stood up, seeming a little tipsy, and spread his arms. "Welcome! My lords...to Isengard!" he said loudly.

"You young rascals!" Gimli shouted, and Pippin smiled wider, as did Aragorn. "A merry hunt you've led us on...and now we find you sitting here, feasting and-and smoking!"

"We are sitting," Pippin said, his mouth full of food, "on a field of victory, enjoying a few well-earned comforts." Merry blew out a puff of smoke straight at Gimli and looked smug. "The salted pork," Pippin boasted, "is particularly good."

"Salted pork?" Gimli repeated, looking awestruck.

"Hobbits," Gandalf muttered, shaking his head.

"We are under orders," Merry said, smiling, "from Treebeard, who was taken over management of Isengard."

* * *

Lara sat down against the wall, next to the tunnel, and stayed there for hours on end, waiting for the battle to finish. It was already dying down, and Mordor was retreating, but Lara remained, sitting against the wall. The thought had occured to her to chase after Frodo and Sam, many, many times. However, she did not do it. Normally, it was against her instinct to sit and remain still, out of the action.

There was the one thing that kept her there, and it was, bizarrely enough, her promise to Frodo. The promise that she had been tricked into, a promise that she knew meant virtually nothing, and he knew it as well-but it was still a promise, to him, and she kept it, remaining where she was and resisting the urge to run after him.

She did not cry again, but instead sat numbly against the wall, until finally someone, a Man, came across her. "What are you doing here, little lass?" he asked. "Shall I fetch Captain Faramir?"

"Yes," she muttered, barely looking up at him. He looked at her a little strangely, but then disappeared, and was back in a few moments, followed closely by Captain Faramir.

"Why are you still here?" he asked. He was not angry, but merely curious.

"They wanted me to stay," she said quietly. "Too dangerous."

Captain Faramir studied her for a long time. "It is dangerous here too, but I will guard you with my life," he promised. "I shall show you where to sleep-we have a small room that perhaps would be comfortable for you." He turned abruptly, and she scrambled to get up and run after him. It felt great to use her legs, to have some purpose and to be going somewhere. She followed him through the city, and she now had a chance to appreciate its beauty.

They spiraled up through the staircases, and she was breathing hard. Faramir seemed to be forgetting that her legs were shorter, and therefore she couldn't keep up with him as well. They got to the top, and passed across a wide stone court, with a white tree in the middle. Lara found herself slowing to stare at it, and Faramir finally noticed and slowed down as well. "That is the tree of the King," Faramir explained. "But there is no King right now. My father is the steward; he is between those doors over there."

He pointed, and there was a gigantic pair of double doors, which seemed to lead into the center of the city, the most important place, the hall. Her curiousity mounted, but Faramir gave her a grim smile, and began to walk again, quickly through the courtyard.

They reached the end of the court, and there was a small outdoor hallway, with large walls on either side. Large carts of herbs lined up and down, and boxes that Lara was too short to see inside of. She wished she had about ten more pairs of eyes, as her head was always on a swivel, looking around.

"Your room is here," Faramir pointed, into a doorway. "Directly to the right. I will make sure you remain undisturbed."

"Thank you," she whispered.

He bowed and turned to walk away, but paused and turned back. "I would not go up the flight of stairs to the top room if I were you," he said firmly. "It is the infirmary, and we have some pretty gruesome injuries right now. Also, if you get hungry, the banquet hall is in the court that we just passed, on the other side. They are always serving food there, and the doors are large and oak."

"Oh," was all Lara could find to say, and Faramir gave her a small smile and swept away. She ventured cautiously into her room, unsure of why she was afraid, and was delighted at what she saw. The furniture was arranged closely to the way her Shire home had been; the bed was extremely large, and could probably fit about seven hobbits her size. There was a small dresser, in which she stowed the bag on her back-and various shelves.

The room was indeed small, but cozy, and Lara felt safe and out of the way here. It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep, thinking about how she so needed some new clothes.

_She dreamed that she was in the highest room of a tower, trying to look outside, but the sun was so bright it was like looking into a blaring light. The light died down after a few moments, and that's when Lara saw the two figures, one with dark hair, and one with sandy hair-struggling to walk through the marshes. She panicked, wondering why Sam and Frodo were again in the marsh, Frodo with the bruise on his cheek once more. And then he was in front of her, holding her face between his hands, his eyes the brilliant blue, and Sam was looking on in disapproval._

_"Lara...I-I..." he said, just as he had begun to say when he left her here in Gondor, and she desperately wanted, no, needed him to finish the sentence. But he did not, and then he took a sudden step back. He sank to the ground, and began to yell, and that's when everything began to swirl, and finally go black, but the yell continued, not sounding like Frodo anymore..._

Lara sat up abruptly in her large and comfortable bed. The yelling was coming from upstairs, in the infirmary. She didn't know if it was because of her strange dream, or her morbid curiousity, but she slipped out of the sheets and hurried up the spiral staircase to the infirmary.

Once there, she looked around, and there were two or three nurses rushing around frantically. Though it was the middle of the night, most of the patients seemed to have chosen this time to be awake-many were groaning in pain, and Lara saw some nasty things-missing legs, arms, and various other appendages, and plenty of blood flow. The nurses seemed beyond themselves, and they barely noticed Lara coming in.

One gave her a frantic look, but did not seem to care about her presence, and so Lara made her way over to the man who had been yelling. She stood over him-he was missing his leg up until the knee, and she could see the pearly white bone sticking out-and he opened his eyes and immediately stopped yelling. Lara gasped; his eyes were a brilliant, piercing blue, and she thought wistfully of Frodo.

"Martha," he murmured, "You're here."

A nurse bustled over. "His wife Martha died years ago," she said. "He is in shock. We had to pop his leg back into place. We are trying to get him to sleep, but no amount of medicine seems to work." She did not seem to care that Lara was not a woman, or was half of her height-she just walked off, back to another nurse who was frantically mixing medicines.

"Martha!" the man hissed, and he grabbed Lara's wrist. She cried out softly. "Martha..."

His blue eyes were pleading with her, and she found herself gazing into them. No eyes could have matched Frodo's, but these were so light, and there was something about them...

She wrenched her arm out of his grasp and sprinted away, and out to the stone hallway before her room, suddenly knowing what to do. It was difficult in the dark, and Lara was still sleepy, but she found the herbs on the carts that she needed after some time. She then hurried back up to the infirmary, and the nurses again took no notice of her. She walked right over to a table with lots of herbs and ingredients. Feeling lucky that she had picked up on a few things from Sam and Frodo as a child, and they had once drugged Merry and Pippin at Brandy Hall, she began mixing.

Not too much later, she had a liquid that seemed the right shade; a very light purple. She wanted to test it, but knew it was impossible. Therefore, she walked over to the man, and said, "Drink this."

He snatched it from her, took one gulp, and said, "Thank you, Martha," and passed out instantly.

A nurse hurried over. "What did you do?" she demanded. She seemed to be the lead nurse-and not extremely happy to see a little person messing around in the infirmary.

"I know some things about herbs, and the other nurse told me you were trying to get him to go to sleep..." she said timidly.

"He looks dead!" she exclaimed.

"His chest is moving," Lara explained quietly.

The nurse went over and checked his pulse, monitored his breathing, and then came back. "Everything seems fine," she said, a little suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"I am Lara from the Shire," she said. "A Hobbit, and a friend of Captain Faramir."

The nurse smiled a little. "Well Lara," she said, "Feel free to come help in the infirmary any time you like. That was very helpful of you-we were afraid he would start yelling too loudly and wake up the entire city."

Lara smiled and decided not to tell her that he had woken her up. She did remain in the infirmary, helping the busy nurses-there wasn't much more she could do after that, but she talked to the patients, and calmed them down greatly. A little Hobbit amused them, and most had taken to calling her, 'Pretty Little Lady'. She found that it was easy to talk to them, once she could look past their injuries, and it helped the nurses regain their flow and relax once the patients were quiet as well.

It wasn't until very early in the morning-perhaps five or six-that Lara finally stumbled down the stairs again, and fell into bed. She was asleep as soon as she hit the pillow, and no more dreams invaded her sleep that night.

* * *

Lara had been at Gondor for maybe four days now; she forgot the time, she was so busy in the infirmary. She found that when she was busy, her heart was not aching as badly for Frodo and Sam, and her mind was a bit more occupied. She doubted she could have lasted two days without being busy like this-the worry would have driven her mad.

Her best friends were always on her mind. Frodo, of course, occupied the number one spot. She knew Sam would be fine-he would take care of Frodo. She also wondered where Merry and Pippin were, and what they were doing, or if they were even alive. She knew absolutely nothing about the rest of the Company. She felt isolated, and trapped in Gondor, waiting for the war to begin.

It was late afternoon one day when she was walking across the courtyard, to the banquet hall, and a white horse started to appear from the stairs. Two people dismounted it-one extremely small, her size, with sandy hair, and the other with a staff and a white beard. She did not venture into the city much, but she knew that the man on the horse must have had to move a lot of people out of his way to get here, as the streets were narrow.

And then the little figure turned and stared at her, and for a long moment, no one said anything.

"PIPPIN!" Lara finally screamed, and ran across the court yard to him at a full sprint.

She all but tackled him to the ground; he staggered as he caught her. "Pippin, you're alive, I'm so glad, I've been so lonely, how are you here, oh Pippin..." He was laughing hysterically, all smiles, and she couldn't stop talking. She giggled with joy, her best friend was alive! He was here, and she was no longer alone...

"It's quite a long story how I got here, but I will explain later...apparently Gandalf has something important to do right away." He glanced up at the other man, and Lara turned her attention to him for the first time.

"Gandalf!" she exclaimed. "But...but they said you fell, Gandalf." She was terribly confused. "They said you fell."

Gandalf gave her a kind smile. "I'm sure Peregrin will explain that part too," he said, and he laughed, but then grew serious. "Do you have news of Frodo?" It was silent, and both Pippin and Gandalf were listening abruptly.

"Yes...he and Sam are both alive, they made it here, and Faramir let them go. They are with Gollum."

"And you didn't go with them?" Pippin asked incredulously. "Why?"

"It wasn't my choice," Lara said quietly, and a little bitterly. Neither of them commented, but Pippin gave her a long look, and she knew he would ask her many questions later. "Is-is Merry alive?" She waited for the answer with bated breath. Merry and Pippin would never separate by themselves, which had to mean something terrible happened...

"Yes," Pippin said. "He is in Rohan."

"Rohan?"

"Later, later!" Gandalf said impatiently. "I have important matters to discuss with the steward. Now, are you two going to come in with me, or not?"

As desperate as Lara was for news immediately, she had also been dying to see the main hall since she arrived. She nodded, and Pippin said, "Yes."

Gandalf stared at them. "Boromir was his Lord Denethor's son," he said. "Do not mention his death to him-it would be unwise."

Pippin was gazing at the white tree, not paying much attention to them. "Do not mention Frodo or the Ring. Don't say anything of Aragorn either." He paused. "Actually, you two probably shouldn't talk at all."

They both nodded solemnly, and entered the room, Lara's heart bursting with joy and curiousity.


	22. So It Begins

**a/n~ Dearest reviewers...I love you all very much and I was so pleased with every single review this chapter :) But I am thoroughly exhausted from flying all day (isn't that funny how that works, when all you do is sit around?) and I need to do some stuff with cleaning my room. Therefore I won't be replying personally today because I want to get the chapter out to you as soon as possible :) Sooo, here you are and thank you for being so patient! Happy reading, thanks soo much for your reviews, and I love you all!**

* * *

Chapter 22

So It Begins

Lara trotted along in Gandalf's wake, next to Pippin. It felt so good to be next to Pippin again. The hall was huge, with white marble floors, large statues of kings alternating with pillars on the sides. She and Pippin kept looking around, until they finally came to a halt near the throne. A man with a long nose, fierce eyes, and long, dark hair, mixed with gray, was sitting at the throne. His head was bowed, and he was clutching something in his hands that Lara couldn't recognize.

He did not even look up.

"Hail Denethor, son of Ecthelion, lord and steward of Gondor," Gandalf said, his deep voice ringing throughout the enormous hall. Denethor still did not look up, but Gandalf still pressed on. Pippin was staring at Denethor, looking shocked. They shared a glance. "I come with tidings in this dark hour," Gandalf continued. "And with counsel."

"Perhaps you have come to explain this." He said it so quietly that they barely heard him, and with shaking hands he held up a horn that was cloven in two. Pippin looked horrified. "Perhaps you have come to tell me why my son is dead."

Lara glanced at Pippin, his face was contorted with pain and guilt, and without warning, he lept forward. "Boromir died to save us, my kinsman and me. He failed defending us from many foes." He kneeled down on one knee. "I offer you my services, such as it is...in payment of this debt." Lara saw Gandalf roll his eyes. Denethor did not say anything, just stared at Pippin, his face still quivering slightly.

"Get up," Gandalf said, annoyed, and tapped Pippin to the side with his staff.

"Pippin," Lara hissed. "What was that about?"

He shook his head at her, and she was suddenly peeved at him. Idiot.

"My lord," Gandalf said, "there will be a time to grieve for Boromir, but it is not now. War is coming. The enemy is on your doorstep. As the steward, you are charged with the defense of this city. Where are Gondor's armies?" He sounded angry now, as if he was scolding Denethor, and Denethor looked seriously angry. Lara held her breath to find out what would happen. "You still have friends," Gandalf said, more gently. "You are not alone in this fight. Send word to Theoden of Rohan. Light the beacons."

Pippin was suddeny looking gleeful. "What?" Lara asked him.

"That would mean Merry would be coming here," Pippin murmured back, and Lara grinned in spite of herself. It would be good to see Merry again too.

"You think you are wise, Mithrandir," Denethor said snidely. "Yet for all your subtleties, you have no wisdom. Do you think the eyes of the White Tower are blind? I have seen more than you know. In your left hand you would use me as a shield against Mordor, and with your right, you would seek to supplant me. I know who rides with Theoden of Rohan. Oh, yes. Word has reached my ears that it is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. And I will tell you now, I will not bow to this Ranger from the North!"

"Authority is not given to you to deny the return of the king, steward," Gandalf said, and his tone was scathing.

Denethor stood up, and Lara took a step back, rather frightened. Pippin grabbed her wrist, reassuring her. "The rule of Gondor's is mine," Denethor shouted. "And no other's." He sat back down, but his face was still menacing. Gandalf looked displeased, and just beckoned the two hobbits, and turned to leave the hall.

* * *

Merry was bored.

Without Pippin, he had no one to talk to and nothing to do. Causing mischief in Rohan would be a foolish and inconsiderate thing to do, especially considering the present climate. He knew the leaders were arguing about going to the aid of Gondor in the War. Merry was torn between the two options.

Staying here meant safety-for a little while. He supposed that without the help of Rohan, Gondor would probably fall. But, he had to admit, he was scared of going off to battle. He wished he could be like the Lady Eowyn, whom he admired and liked greatly. She seemed so fearless, so headstrong, and wanted to rush off to battle at a second's notice. She had been giving him secret sword fighting lessons, and he thought he had improved greatly. However, the fact still remained that he was a Hobbit-it was not in their nature to fight in a War.

But if Merry did not go to fight, he would be ashamed. He knew all of his friends were doing something useful. Pippin was now right in the middle of the action. And the other three were the most important, going to Mordor.

He felt useless, and out of place. Aragorn seemed to busy to talk to him much, and he did not know the others as well. Gimli and Legolas were hard to find, as was Aragorn-the only one Merry could find company in was Lady Eowyn, who seemed to understand and empathize with him. But Merry missed his friends so much that his heart literally ached with the pain of it.

He would never be the same without Pippin. He and Pippin completed each other, like twins, and he felt lost and empty without Pippin around. His fury at him had subsided slightly, though he couldn't help thinking sometimes that if Pippin weren't so curious about dumb things, he would still be with Merry right now. Frodo and Sam he worried about as well, but he knew that Sam would always take care of Frodo. Lara...

Lara would take care of Frodo as well. Merry flinched at the thought. It was selfish and wrong, he knew, but he couldn't help thinking that she should have stayed behind, with him. Wondering why she hadn't. If she even wondered where he was, or if he was even alive. He knew she was alive; he wouldn't let any other thought cross his mind, because it was not comprehendable to him that she was dead. He needed Lara, and he had been miserable since she had gone.

The fact that she was with Frodo made him even more wary. Though he shouldn't think such nonsense at times like these, when he was lonely he wandered the grounds, and thought of things he shouldn't. He saw how she was around Frodo. And he saw how Frodo was around her. He couldn't take the seperation-he wanted to be with them, to have the chance to win her. He did not want her to return, with a victorious Frodo, the hero, and she comes back to Merry, who had done nothing. He wanted to tell her of his adventures, make them wonderful, how he had almost died in the battle, and he wanted to see the fear in her eyes for him, to know that she cared. He wanted to be her hero.

He reminisced about fascinating things he could do, if they were to go to War. And he thought about meeting her again. He knew that she would need to know the truth. He had almost told her so many times. But he knew that if they ever met again, he would walk right up to her, and tell her.

That he, Merry, had been in love with her for years.

* * *

"YOU TREACHEROUS LITTLE TOAD!"

Frodo awoke with a start. He had actually been sleeping, something he had had problems with lately, and he sat up quickly, annoyed. He glanced around, and immediately saw the source of the commotion. Sam had jumped on Gollum, and put his hands to Gollum's neck. "No, no! Massster!" Gollum was screeching, and Frodo ran over at once.

"No, Sam, no! Leave him alone!"

"I heard it from his own mouth!" Sam shouted. "He means to murder us!"

"Never!" Gollum shouted, turning around. "Smeagol wouldn't hurt a fly!" He touched his forehead, which had some blood, as Sam had punched him. He screamed loudly. "He's a horrid, fat Hobbit, who hates Smeagol and makes up nasty lies!"

"You miserable little maggot!" Sam yelled. "I'll stow your head in!" He lept forward again, grabbing for Gollum, but Frodo pulled on his arm.

"Sam! Sam!" Gollum rushed off, and hid behind a tree, yelling as he watched Sam struggle with Frodo.

"Call me a liar? You're a liar!"

"Sam! SAM! You scare him off, we're lost!" Frodo pushed him.

"I don't care! I can't do it, Mr. Frodo. I won't wait around for him to kill us!"

"I'm not sending him away," Frodo shouted.

"You don't see it do you?" Sam said, then lowered his voice. "He's a villain."

Frodo's voice returned to normal, his quiet, lilting tone, and he sounded gentle. "We can't do this by ourselves, Sam. Not without a guide. I need you on my side."

"I'm on your side, Mr. Frodo."

"I know, Sam. I know. So trust me," he said, gently. He turned, and headed to go lay back down. Sam turned and looked at Gollum one last time, who gave him an evil smile. Sam grimaced, and used all of his willpower to go lay by Frodo again. But it seemed Frodo was not even attempting to go back to sleep. Instead, he was sitting with his back to them, staring off into space.

Sam came up behind him and put his hand on Frodo's shoulder. "Mr. Frodo? Are you all right?"

"Sam," Frodo said, and his voice was hollow and strained, and it took him a long time to finally say, "Do you think that...do you think she's all right?"

Sam made his way around and sat down next to Frodo, staring at him. He was paler than ever, and his big blue eyes were staring at nothing. He seemed worn, and his face was full of internal pain. Most of the time Frodo was not entirely there; he constantly was gazing off, so Sam was used to this lost look. And Sam could always tell when it was about the Ring, which was mostly all the time. It had taken up his entire being, Sam could see that, and it was heavy on his heart.

But sometimes, when Sam was supposed to be sleeping, he watched Frodo, who would sit up and put his head between his knees. And Sam knew he was out of his trance from the Ring, and was thinking about something else entirely-some_one_ else entirely. Once or twice, he had seen transparent tears running down Frodo's cheeks.

He had never gotten up, not knowing quite what to say to him, knowing that Frodo wanted to be alone at these times.

"I'm sure of it, Mr. Frodo," Sam finally said gently. "Lara's a strong lass. She can take care of herself."

Frodo nodded without looking at Sam. Sam hesitated, but then decided that while Frodo was in his right mind, he might as well say what he wanted to say. "Saying goodbye to her really...saddened you," he said cautiously. "If you need any help Mr. Frodo...well, I'm here."

"I know Sam," Frodo said. "Thank you. Just...the Ring...it makes me think dark things, horrible things...it pulls me down, Sam. I find it so hard to put one foot in front of the other, when I'm going furthur away from my friends, from the Shire. What if they didn't make it? What if I never see them...her...again?"

"We will Mr. Frodo," Sam said cheerfully. "We can do it."

Frodo turned and gave him a grateful smile, though his eyes were still horribly sad. He sucked in a long, shuddering breath. "Thank you Sam," he breathed, and Sam hugged him briefly before turning around and pretending to go to sleep, to at least give Frodo the pretense that he had some privacy in his misery.

* * *

After exiting Denethor's hall, Lara had let Pippin to her room. After showing it off for a moment, she explained that they were beneath the infirmary, and how she had been helping there. She also explained where to find food, because she knew Pippin could appreciate that. Across the hall, there was an empty room similar to hers, and Pippin decided that he would sleep there unless someone told him otherwise.

As Pippin was still examining her dresser, she noticed a small lump in her backpack. Frowning, she reached inside to see what it was. She pulled out Lady Galadriel's gift-the clear object that resembled a rock. She gazed at it, as she had quite forgotton about it. _'Use this, when you realize the most important thing of all..._'

She gave herself a little shake. What could possibly be the most important thing of all? Would it know that she knew it? Or did she have to say something to it...

"What is that?" Pippin was standing next to her, and she hadn't noticed him.

"My gift from Lady Galadriel," she said. "I don't understand it." She repeated the instructions Lady Galadriel had given her, but Pippin had no ideas either.

"Maybe that you are in Gondor, about to go to War?" Pippin suggested. "And I'm guessing you would have to tell it..."

So Lara muttered this, feeling utterly foolish, but the little thing remained unmoving, and sat just like a rock in her palm. Lara was bitterly disappointed that she hadn't figured out her gift by now. When would it possibly work for her?

"Come on," Pippin said. "It will come to you eventually. But for now, let's go get some food." She nodded in agreement, and tucked the stone safely in her bag, then followed Pippin out of the door. "So how long have you been here?" Pippin asked, as they walked through the courtyard, and Lara grimaced. This subject was sure to lead to painful avenues, but she had known that Pippin would ask.

"Four days, I think," she answered, trying to sound nonchalant.

"So...so Frodo and Sam left from here four days ago?" Pippin said.

"Yes."

He hesitated. "If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you go with them?"

"I already told you," she said a little testily, "it wasn't my choice."

"Then whose was it?"

She rolled her eyes. "Who do you think?"

"Frodo," Pippin said quietly. "Yes...why?"

"He said it was too dangerous," Lara said, her eyes sparkling with tears. "He made me promise..."

Pippin walked forward and put his hand on her shoulders. "I know he wants you there," Pippin said gently, and Lara was surprised. Pippin hardly ever talked about things like this; he normally was all jokes. But he seemed quite serious now. "He just wants you to be safe."

Lara nodded and turned away, wiping the tears away from her eyes quickly, telling herself it did her no good to cry. "So, what else happened?" Pippin asked.

She filled him in on everything. How she and Sam had waded out to the boat and almost drowned to convince Frodo to go with them. Their journey through the Emyn Muil, getting lost, and finallly meeting up with Gollum, who had attacked them. Their adventures through the marshes, and how Frodo and fallen into one of the ponds and almost died-how a Black Rider had flown through.

She went on to explain their arrival at the Black Gate, which Pippin made her describe in great detail, and their close encounter with two Men, and how their Elven cloaks had shielded them. Finally, how they had seen the army and the oliphaunts, run into Faramir, and come to Gondor. After explaining all the happenings in Gondor, Pippin looked dumbfounded. "Oliphaunts!" he said. "Wow!" Then he grinned mischievously. "But I think Merry and I have still got you beat. We did meet and make friends with a giant talking tree, after all. Oh, and help him defeat Saruman."

"_What_?"

Pippin chuckled. He also explained his side of the story, including the part where Gandalf was alive after all, and Lara found it all very interesting and delightful, especially the part when Treebeard had roared and awoken all the trees (Pippin had given her a good impression), and when the dam had broken and washed away all the orcs. "So why isn't Merry with you now?" she asked at the end.

"Oh, about that..." he said, looking sheepish. He explained all about the palantir.

Lara just rolled her eyes. "You idiot," she said. "Well, at least you are here with me now. I wish Merry could be here too."

"He is in Rohan still," Pippin said. "If we summon them to fight, maybe he will come here," he finished hopefully.

"Yeah," Lara agreed, although she did not like thinking of the battle that was to come.

It was later that night when Lara was standing on the balcony with Gandalf and Pippin. Gandalf was brooding, Lara was lost in thoughts of Frodo, looking out in the mountains where she figured he must be, and Pippin was pouring over his new armor that Lord Denethor had given him. "So I imagine this is just a ceremonial position," Pippin said, examining the large sword he now had. "I mean, they don't actually expect me to do any fighting. Do they?" He looked up at Gandalf.

"You're in the service of the steward now," Gandalf said, his tone sarcastic. Lara also rolled her eyes at Pippin's stupidity with Denethor. "You're going to have to do as you're told, Peregrin Took, guard of the Citadel."

Pippin ignored the insult, but leaned on the balcony next to Lara. They shared a scared and worried glance. "It's so quiet," Pippin murmured.

"It's the deep breath before the plunge," Gandalf said.

"I don't want to be in a battle," Pippin said, "but waiting on the edge of one I can't escape is even worse."

"Is there any hope, Gandalf," Lara said suddenly, "for Frodo and Sam?"

"There never was much hope." Gandalf smiled at them slightly. "Just a fool's hope." Lara's heart dropped. Something about hearing it from Gandalf's mouth made it seem even worse than before. She felt Pippin pat her hand, and she sucked in her tears. "Our enemy is ready," Gandalf continued, staring at the same place Lara had just been. "His full strength's gather. Not only Orcs, but Men as well. All will answer Mordor's call. This will be the end of Gondor as we know it. Here the hammer stroke will fall hardest. If the river is taken...if the garrison at Osgiliath falls, the last defense of the city is gone."

Lara shivered, and Pippin now gripped her hand. She wished Gandalf would just stop talking.

"We've got the White Wizard," Pippin said happily. "That's got to count for something." When Gandalf pursed his lips and turned away, Pippin said, "Gandalf?"

Gandalf looked grave, and Lara knew she didn't want to hear what he was about to say, but couldn't leave. She had to stay and listen. "Sauron has yet to reveal his deadliest servant," Gandalf explained, and Pippin looked at Lara, terrified. "The one who will lead Mordor's armies in war. The one they say no living man can kill. The Witch King of Angmar. You've met him before." Gandalf turned and looked at them. "He stabbed Frodo on Weathertop."

Lara closed her eyes, pushing away the images, but she could still see them, Frodo yelling, his wound...

"He is the lord of the Nazgul, the greatest of the Nine. Minus Morgul is his lair." Suddenly, a bright green light erupted from a valley in the mountains, the same spot that Lara had been gazing at earlier. It went straight up into the clouds. It made them flash like lightning. Pippin, Gandalf, and Lara leaned back to stare at it. Everyone in the city crowded to look at it. Pippin put his arm around Lara, and Gandalf put his around Pippin.

"We've come to it at last," Gandalf said, his voice quiet. "The great battle of our time. The board is set. The pieces are moving."

Pippin slowly turned to look at Lara, and his face reflected the same thing that she felt; fear, anxiety, and worry for their friends. She was not ready for this, and never would be. How could she fight a battle, when she yearned to be with Frodo, helping him with the Ring? How could she find the strength and courage to fight against men that were double her size? Pippin gave her hand another squeeze, and Lara told herself that she was lucky, at least, that Pippin was here with her.


	23. The Beacons

**a/n~ Sooo...this chapter took me way too long, and it isn't the greatest. Not much happens :S All the battle type stuff would be next chapter, and all the hobbity drama you all have been waiting for is in chapters 25 and 26, maybe some in 27 :) Then I think that is it, except maybe an epilogue if my brain doesn't feel like mush by the end of this hehe. And if I have time. The updates might be a little slow the next two weeks, but then after that I should be back to normal and get this thing finished! Thanks to my awesome reviewers once more! :)**

Reviewers

Remus san~ Thanks! And I did mention the song in here, but I didn't put the lyrics...I do love that song though :) I have it on my iPod!

Isabeau Jones~ Yayy that she is seemlessly created! Haha :) And I have quite a few people saying they are torn between the two, but of course we will see how it all plays out. Thanks for your review!

LadyDorothy~ Well I'm hoping to get the conclusion out to you soon! I'm already writing bits from the last chapters as they come to me, and I am liking what I have so far, hopefully you all will too! And I always pronounced it like Laura..but you can go with however you wanna pronounce it :) Thanks for your review!

Dark-Angel2596~ Tension indeed :) Glad you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reviewing, and hope you like this one!

Daisy~ Thanks! I'm sorry this took so long, but this chapter was particularly difficult and I'm not all that pleased with it, but hey that's ok, it is mostly a filler more than anything, leading up to the more exciting stuff. So thanks for reviewing, and hope you enjoy this one even though I don't! Ha :)

~ Yeah, well you have more this chapter, and even more in the next and the one after that :) Thanks for reviewing!

Will Baggins~ Haha, don't die! I will finish this story hopefully in the next month or two...I have been rather busy, but I am wanting to get this one done :) The last chapters will be fun to write, so I'm excited! Thanks for reviewing!

Christina Conlon~ Hahaha, unless he magically defies the said pairings...that was funny, I laughed :) Yeah, I feel pretty bad for Merry too, but it should all work out in the end...but you will have to wait and see ;) Hehe, thanks so much for your review, and I'm glad you are enjoying the story!

ShortHappens~ I feel pretty darn bad for Frodo too :) I like it when men do the noble thing, so I figure I can write Frodo doing the noble thang (hehe, I just said thang). Anyhoo, glad you enjoyed the chappie and I hope this one is ok, I'm not too fond of it, as I have said up there, but well, the last two should be fantabulous (that's your word :D) so yeah! Thanks again for reviewing so much, I always look for yours! And you pretty much keep me going :)

poakkis~ Yes, hopefully Frodo and Lara will find each other in the end indeed...you will have to wait and see ;) Hehe, I like to torture my readers a bit, sorry...but well, only a few chapters left now, not much longer to wait! Thanks so much for reviewing :)

nightchildx~ Thank you very much! I'm so glad you like it. Hope you continue to like it, enjoy this chappie :)

Willow Heidi Erickson~ Me too! I always felt so bad for Pippin, especially in Moria when Gandalf freaked out on him lol. And you will see how the whole Frodo/Merry thing plays out... :) Good luck with 'Just Merry', and let me know when you have that done! Thanks for reviewing! :)

* * *

Chapter 23

The Beacons

"Peregrin my lad," Gandalf started, as they marched across the courtyard. Well, Gandalf marched; the Hobbits all but sprinted to keep up with him. "And Lara as well," he added, looking down at her fondly. "There is a task now to be done. Another opportunity for one of the Shire-folk to prove their great worth." They followed him through the village until he stopped and looked up, towards the beacon that would be lit to call Rohan for aid.

Denethor would never allow it.

Gandalf turned and gave them a meaningful look, and they knew exactly what needed to be done. Someone little, to sneak up and light it...

Lara grinned in spite of herself. After all the stunts Pippin and she had pulled, this was going to be a piece of cake. "You must not fail me," Gandalf said seriously. They both nodded with a sense of purpose, and rushed off, Lara in the lead.

It took them a long time to scale the side of the cliff that led to the beacon. There was a narrow bridge to their left, with a guard patrolling it; they were to go around and hope that they would not be seen. They had lots of practice in stealth, but Lara had never been quite this high up before, and the rocks on the side were treacherous. They lost their footing once or twice, and could have fallen to their deaths. Pippin was pale and sweating by the time they reached the top, and Lara was sure she was as flushed as a tomato. Breathing hard, they peeked around the stack of wood at the guard.

One was still walking, and the other was sitting, taking a drink, not paying much attention to the stack of wood.

But now came the part where one of them would be in plain view. They looked at each other, and Pippin pointed at himself firmly. Lara frowned; and Pippin smiled at her. "Don't worry," he reassured her, "this isn't about your safety. I just want to be the one to save the day."

Lara stuffed her fist in her mouth to keep from laughing loudly. Of course.

She watched him as he climbed up the side of the woodstack, which was twice as tall as the Hobbits. When he stood up on the top, she held her breath and peeked around to watch the guards. She held up her thumb to indicate that they weren't paying attention, and she kept a careful watch on them as Pippin set to work. Suddenly, she heard a fire start, and she looked up to see orange flame licking at the top. Pippin was grinning triumphantly, then turned and hurried down.

The guards were now staring in awe, and the answering beacons continued to be lit until they could see them no more.

* * *

Merry woke to the Rohan in a flurry. Men were being gathered, and he dashed outside, having gotten fully dressed in a flash. "Lady Eowyn!" he called, sprinting out and looking wildly. He knew she wouldn't be hard to find. Long blond hair, amongst the men. But it took him quite a while to find her, as there was so much activity going on. He finally saw her preparing a horse, and he noted that her sword was with on it.

"Lady Eowyn!"

She turned and smiled at him, but she looked a little stressed. "What is going on?" Merry said, looking around him.

"Gondor calls for aid," she said, "and Rohan is answering their call."

"Pippin," Merry breathed, and his face broke into an ecstatic smile, his spirits not dampened in the slightest that they were riding off to War, and possibly to their deaths. "I'm going," he said importantly. Then faltered a little, suddenly uncertain. "Aren't I?"

"Of course you are," she assured him. "I am going as well...just to the encampment. It is tradition for the ladies of the court to bid the men farewell."

"With your sword?" He eyed her sword again.

She chuckled and gave him a meaningful look. "You never know when our lessons will come in handy. I would go get your sword and your horse, Meriadoc, and prepare. We are leaving soon."

Sure enough, about an hour later, Merry and Eowyn sat in a huge mass of horses; most were men, but as Eowyn said, some of the women were coming to the encampment to bid the men farewell. Merry was on a little pony, and he felt intimidated surrounded by all the large men and horses around him. Even Eowyn towered over him on her horse, but she gave him a reassuring smile as they got prepared to ride out, and Merry did feel better.

And so, it was by Eowyn's side that Merry rode out of Rohan, surrounded by a large army of Rohan, being jostled from each side. But even so, he was still grinning wildly as he rode away.

* * *

Somehow Lara had lost Pippin.

She wasn't quite sure how, but he and Gandalf were somewhere in the city, and she had no idea where. She had gone to grab a bite to eat, and Pippin had passed it up, much to Lara's surprise. She knew that Osgiliath was under attack, but there was no way he was going there, so she had no clue what Pippin and Gandalf were up to. When she was beginning to get worried, she ran out over the courtyard and out to the peak that jutted out of the city the furthest.

She saw something that made her watch with her mouth hanging open.

An army, a very small army, was riding back over open ground. Osgiliath had apparently been too much to defend, and the numbers seemed too few; the men were retreating to the city. But the Nazgul were vicious, following them, swooping down and picking up horses and men in their claws, three or four at a time, wiping them out...

And then Lara saw a lone figure on a white horse, staff in one hand and a tiny head bobbing in front of him. "PIPPIN!" she screamed, and everyone in the courtyard and below her in the city looked around, but Lara did not care. Why wouldn't he tell her what was going on? Why was he doing this? Did he want to get killed? And again she would be all alone, worried sick about Frodo, with no distractions...

Gandalf held out his staff, and white light erupted from it. The Nazgul flew away immediately, as if burned from it, and Gandalf and Pippin joined the army riding towards the main gate.

It took Lara a while to close her mouth and hurry down to the courtyard where the army came galloping in. She spotted Gandalf's white horse immediately, standing out from all the others, and she rushed over to it as Pippin and Gandalf hopped off, Pippin rather clumsily. "Are you insane?" Lara hissed to Pippin. "You could have been killed!"

"Gandalf just sort of picked me up," Pippin said sheepishly. "I was just fine anyways. I know you are just upset because you wanted to go."

"Well of course I did!" Lara shrieked. "But that's not the point."

Pippin grinned at her, but then his smile faltered. "I have to go swear my allegiance to Denethor in a little bit," he said in a low voice.

"Well it is your own fault for saying you would in the first place," Lara said, rather crossly. Pippin looked so gloomy that she said quickly, in a much nicer voice, "Would you like me to come with you?"

"I don't think you can," he muttered.

Lara had nothing much to say to that, until Faramir walked up to Gandalf. "Let's go eat something," Pippin suggested, and she turned to follow him until she heard Frodo's name mentioned. Pippin must have heard it too, because he whipped around as she did. "What about Frodo?" Pippin asked Gandalf and Faramir, but they were staring at each other.

"Are you sure, Faramir?" Gandalf asked. Faramir nodded gravely. Lara's heart skipped a beat. "Tell me everything," Gandalf said urgently, ignoring the two hobbits completely.

"The creature with them...he said that was the path they would take. To Cirith Ungol. There is something ill-looking about this creature; it makes me uncomfortable," Faramir said.

"What's wrong with the path they are taking?" Pippin asked, but Lara already knew what he was referring to. The dark terror that Faramir had said earlier. She hoped they would be all right. For now, she was relieved that they had no news they were dead. She did not know which was worse-knowing, or not knowing. If she did not know, she would always go on thinking they were alive. They couldn't die...

Not much more was said on the subject, and Gandalf and Faramir started discussing battle plans, while Pippin and Lara went upstairs to get a bite to eat. After that, Pippin parted to Denethor's hall. And though Lara begged to go with him, he went alone, and she went to the infirmary.

Lara had been there about half an hour, helping her favorite nurse treat a man with a missing arm, when another nurse burst in. Everybody looked around, and the nurse rushed over and whispered something in another nurse's ear. She looked alarmed in turn, and they continued telling everybody in whispers so as not to disturb or alarm the patients, until it finally reached Lara's ears: Denethor was sending out the army to attempt to retake Osgiliath-apparently, it was basically a suicide mission, with Captain Faramir forced to lead it.

This information bothered Lara greatly, especially the bit about Captain Faramir; he had been very kind to her. And then a completely bone-chilling thought reached her mind. What if Denethor decided to send Pippin out with them?

"I must go," she muttered to the nurse, and dashed away. Not really caring much what the steward thought of her, she burst into his hall, where, much to her relief, Pippin was sitting with him while he ate, singing him a song. After he was done singing, he looked at her and she saw, even from the great distance, tears in his eyes. She glanced at Denethor, who was staring at her, and then quickly backed out of the hall.

She randomly ran through the city, wanting to find anyone with information, and saw Gandalf sitting alone on a barrel.

"Gandalf?" she asked.

"All dead," he muttered. "All will be dead from Denethor's madness."

Lara was silent. She had nothing to say to that, but tears swam in her eyes, thinking of Faramir, and all the men with families that had just wasted their lives. Gandalf turned and looked at her. "Do you now see," he started, "why Frodo wanted to keep you in Rivendell? Your safety," he clarified. "And now, without Rohan's aid, Gondor will most likely fall. Mordor will strike hardest here..."

"Gandalf," Lara started, "I'm worried for Frodo...and Sam. Will they die?"

Gandalf looked at her, and his eyes seemed to soften at looking upon her face. "Not worried about yourself, I see." Lara just looked at him, not knowing what to say to that. He sighed. "Like I said, a fool's hope," he said, but his voice was extremely gentle. "But Frodo is an exceptionally tough young hobbit. And Sam will take care of him." Lara's eyes were threatening to spill over again, but she did not let it happen in front of Gandalf. She knew that Mordor's army was growing closer every minute to the White City; she almost wanted it to be here, and be over, rather than sit and wait.

He gave her a small smile, and Lara stood up. He patted her on the head, and she hurried back up to the courtyard, in hopes of seeing Pippin there. He was, but just sitting on a bench dumbly. She went and sat beside him. "What is it Pippin?" she asked worriedly.

"He told Faramir," Pippin choked, "that he wished their places had been exchanged."

"Whose places?" Lara was confused.

"Boromir's and his. He told him that he wished Boromir had lived instead, and that Faramir had died. Such cruelty..."

Lara was stunned into silence. "Is that why Faramir followed his orders?"

"Denethor goaded him into it," Pippin said, and he buried his head in his hands. Lara tucked her head on his shoulder and patted his head, as Gandalf had to her. They sat there like this for a long time, both thinking of the war that was to come, the loss, and most of all, their missing friends. Lara could not help thinking if Faramir affected them this strongly, how would it be if their friends went to the same fate?

* * *

Frodo was lost.

Not directionally, no. He had Gollum for that. But with everything else, he was lost and felt utterly hopeless. He had just turned Sam away. He had nothing but his guide, Gollum, who seemed to empathize with him, but there was something wrong, something he couldn't put his finger on. He knew this, deep in his heart, but he did not wish to acknowledge it. Instead he pushed it away, believed that Sam truly needed to go home, that there was nothing he could do to help any more; that he would only do more harm.

He wished Lara would not cross his mind so often. It only hurt his heart even to think of her, what he had said and hadn't said to her, her heartbroken face when he left, the thought that he may never see her again...

But she did cross his mind, and he did wish she were here. So selfishly did he wish that. There were times when he wondered if he had gone mad, sending her away. Because he knew this Quest would claim his life. Would it not be better to have her here by his side when he died? Her and Sam? But no; it was better to send them away, to die alone, so that they may live. Go on and have full, happy lives, get married, have children-

Frodo gasped loudly from the pain of this thought. Gollum did not even turn around. Sam would have been checking on him in an instant, but Gollum had changed somehow, Frodo sensed something wrong enamating from him ever since Sam had been gone. Or maybe Sam's goodness had just blocked the evil out.

Whatever it was, Frodo didn't like it.

It was then that Gollum led him to the mouth of a cave, and more fear crept into Frodo's very being.

When he did muster his strength and courage to go on, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong...


	24. Fight Until The Death

**a/n~ Thanks sooooo MUCH to all my reviewers this chapter...I am not replying personally today but I am so thankful to each and every one of you. Please continue to let me know what you think of his story, and I hope you like this chapter. The next one gets really really good :D Hehe. Hobbity drama. So sit back and relax and review...the next chapter is written, so the more I get, the quicker I probably post. Just saying :) Thanks again, and enjoy.**

Chapter 24

Fight Until The Death

Lara woke to the sound of drums.

She hurriedly got dressed and rushed outside, to look over the peak. Mordor's army was certainly ready to destroy them. Never had Lara seen so much of anything in her life-and these were orcs, thousands upon thousands of orcs, and more were coming. Orcs that were bloodthirsty and ready to kill every inhabitant in the White City, Sauron's first step in conquering Middle Earth.

They had trolls and towers, no doubt to help them breach the walls and make their way inside the castle.

The odd thing was, Lara did not feel the fear quite yet. She just stared at them, quite unwilling to believe her eyes. She heard a shout behind her. "Hurry!" She whipped around, and saw six men carrying a stretcher. The doors to Denethor's hall banged open, and he rushed out, followed by about five other men, and little Pippin. Gandalf was nowhere to be seen. Lara made her way over to the commotion.

"Faramir!" Denethor hurried over and knelt by his son. "Say not that he has fallen." And his words were that of a broken man, perhaps of a man that realized he loved his son after all. Lara could not look at Faramir's lifeless face. She felt no pity for Denethor-as she blamed him entirely for the whole thing. She glanced at Pippin, who looked horrified, staring down at Faramir.

"They were outnumbered," a man said. "None survived."

Gandalf had been right. Because of Denethor's pride and madness, all the men sent out were dead. Lara brushed away a tear, but fought to hold the rest in. It wouldn't do to cry in front of these high-ranking Gondor officials. Denethor paid him no attention. "My sons are spent," he murmured, getting up and staggering away from the body of Faramir. "My line has ended." He walked off to the edge of the city, just where Lara had been.

Pippin rushed over and put his hand on Faramir's forehead. "He's alive!" he exclaimed breathlessly.

"My House of Stewards has failed..."

"He needs medicine my Lord!" Pippin called louder, to Denethor this time.

"My line has ended!" Denethor shouted, not paying any attention to him, and then he turned to look out at the orcs preparing to seige Gondor.

"My Lord!" Pippin shouted. He looked at Lara anxiously, and she understood his worry. If Faramir was not given help quickly, he would not live. Lara tried hard to muster her hopes that he was alive, for she did not want to be disappointed. But she couldn't help it-she wanted Faramir to be alive. He was a good man, she knew.

All of the sudden, they heard a loud crash, and the sounds of a tower crumbling. Screams came from the city. This was not the first boulder to hit. More crashes came, and even more screams, and it seemed to drive Denethor over the brink. "Abandon your posts! Flee! Flee for your lives!"

Lara did not really see Gandalf until he was there. He hit Denethor right in the face with his white staff. He whacked him again, twice more, until Denethor had fallen to the ground, knocked out. There was distaste in Gandalf's face as he looked at him. Then he looked up, and everyone, including the soldiers below in the city, were waiting for him to say something. "Prepare for battle!" Immediately, he lept on his horse Shadowfax, and they could hear him shouting at the men as he rode through the city. "Defend the wall! To the wall!"

"We need to get to Gandalf," Lara said, shaking Pippin. "He will help him."

"But he's busy in the battle!" Pippin cried, distressed.

"He wants Faramir to live," Lara reassured him. "Come on!" Pippin threw on his armour-Lara had none to speak of, except her little helmet. "Here, you take my shield," Pippin offered. "I will have the sword, and we can fight together."

"But-"

"We can take turns with the sword," Pippin said, rolling his eyes. Lara almost laughed. Here, in the middle of battle, they were arguing about who got the sword. She nodded, and followed him as he rushed across the courtyard and down the steps. The commotion was incredible around them-the rocks were being fired out to the orcs now, with Gandalf in command, but more were still being launched into the castle, doing great damage.

And just like they always do, the Nazgul showed up when it seemed things couldn't get any worse.

The squeal came, and Lara and Pippin covered their ears and yelled with the pain of it. The Nazgul swooped throughout the city, picking up men and throwing them in their claws. Lara forced herself to concentrate on running, and running to Gandalf alone. The adrenaline was pumping in her ears; her fear was what was keeping her going. Gondor was in chaos now. The men were being thrown around from great heights, running away, or standing and covering their ears.

Pippin stopped, in a panic. Lara skidded to a stop and looked at him. "Come on, Pip!" she urged. "Not much furthur now." Of course, she had no idea where Gandalf was or how much furthur they had to go, but she did not find the need to tell Pippin this. They were jostled and knocked down.

And suddenly, she heard Gandalf's voice, as clear as day. "Not to the towers! Aim for the trolls, kill the trolls! Bring them down!" She lept up and pulled Pippin with her. They ran through the city in the direction of his voice, until they found him. And Lara realized she was in a very bad place now. The tower was just beginning to open, the towers the trolls had been pushing, and orcs spilled out of them. "Fight them back!" Gandalf shouted, and he whipped around. "Peregrin and Lara! Go back to the Citadel!"

"They'd called us out to fight," Pippin said quietly.

"Gandalf, we need to tell you about Fara-"

But she was interrupted for two orcs, rushing right for them. Gandalf leaped in front of the hobbits, as they both were too shocked to make a move to defend themselves. "This is no place for Hobbits," Gandalf said. Hearing a roar behind him, he turned and struck another orc. Two more came, and Gandalf fought those. Another tower was landed, and orcs spilled out. One seemed to see Pippin and Lara, and headed right for them.

Both frozen, they watched it run at them. It lifted up it's sword at Lara, and survival instinct kicked in. She held up the shield with lightning speed-the orcs may be bigger and stronger, but she had speed on her side-and staggered backward from the force of the sword on the other side, her arm aching. It ran for her again, and she held up the shield while on the ground. Pippin dashed forward with a yell, and stuck it right in the orc's back. It keeled over and died.

"Guards of the Citadel, indeed," Gandalf said to them fondly. "Now back, up the hill, quickly!"

They did, though Lara begged Pippin to go back. She needed to tell Gandalf of Faramir. She heard chants of "Grond, Grond, Grond!" coming from the orcs, and the fear began to consume her as they made their way back up to the courtyard.

* * *

Frodo struggled to get the webs off of him, as he fell out of the cave of Shelob.

Never had he imagined a creature so hideous and ghastly, or that Gollum would lead him into such a trap. And now he was alone, with no one to guide him or help him along. No sooner had he thought this than Gollum leaped on him, grabbed his hair, and began to shake and claw at him. "Got away, did it, precious? Not this time. Not this time!" he hissed angrily.

"No!" Frodo yelled, and Gollum picked him up and threw him into a rock. He landed with a thud, but got up quicker than even he had expected. He lunged to Gollum and made a grab for his neck. He punched him hard across the face, and then took his neck once more, his grip strong.

"It wasn't us! It wasn't us! Smeagol wouldn't hurt master," Gollum cried. "We promised. You must believe us. It was the precious. The precious made us do it."

Frodo relaxed his grip, and his breathing became slower. He tumbled off of Gollum. He did not know what forced him to be so passionate to Gollum; but somehow, he knew that the Ring was controlling him. He knew how it felt, to not have your own mind half the time. Gollum slowly opened up his eyes and looked at him. "I have to destroy it, Smeagol." He slowly stood up. "I have to destroy it for both our sakes." He turned and began to walk away, completely missing Gollum's face, which was slowly turning to anger.

Gollum lept on his back with a yell, and with a surprising agility Frodo grabbed him, lay down, and pushed him off the side of the cliff.

Whether Gollum was dead or not, Frodo did not know.

Exhausted, Frodo leaned against a rock. The shadow of the Ring had passed for a moment. He was completely in his mind again, and all he could think about were his friends. "I'm so sorry, Sam," he whispered, tears in his eyes, thinking of how he had left him behind. Sam had been right about Gollum; how could Frodo have done something like this, put a trust in a creature he knew to be evil? Not trust Sam, who he had known for years, who had unselfishly taken care of Frodo the entire time? He kneeled down on the ground. "I'm so sorry..." he murmured, and fell to the ground.

He had fallen on rock, so he expected it to be a bit more hard than this.

He looked up, but he was not in Mordor anymore. Confused, he looked around, seeing leaves and forest. He was lying on the soft ground. Suddenly, he noticed bare feet, half covered by a shimmering white robe. He looked up to see Lady Galadriel, smiling at him, with all her beauty and glory. "This task was appointed to you, Frodo of the Shire. If you do not find a way, no one will." Her mouth did not move, but somehow, she spoke. Smiling more brightly, she looked behind her. Frodo looked too, past Lady Galadriel, to see what she was looking at.

"Come on Frodo," Lara whispered. "Get up." She was standing there, also in shimmering white; a wreath of flowers in her long, curly hair. Never had Frodo seen her look so lovely. Though Frodo knew this was in his head, he couldn't help but stare at her, take her in. How he wished she were here! The selfish part of him wanted her to be with him until the very end, the real her.

"But I am here, Frodo," she said, giving him a smile, answering his thoughts. "Get up and do your task."

"But I left Sam behind, I betrayed him for Gollum...I'm alone now...I need you..."

"I'm with you always," she whispered. "Go save Middle-Earth, Frodo."

She smiled encouragingly once more, and he suddenly pursed his lips, determined. "Yes," Frodo said. "I must make sure you have a chance to live." And with that, he looked back at Lady Galadriel, who was smiling at him again. He looked past her, but Lara had vanished. Galadriel held out her hand to him, her face kind. He took her hand, and he was up in an instant.

And he was back in the misery of Mordor. But somehow, he remembered everything-for now, the Ring was not as heavy as before. Concentrating on Lara's face, he pressed on.

* * *

Night had approached and the battle raged on.

The orcs were now launching boulders with fire into the castle; and the door was being bombarded. She and Pippin were up in the courtyard, sitting on a bench. Lara felt utterly useless, but she knew there was not much she could do, about Faramir or the battle. "Orcs will be in the city soon, I bet," Lara whispered to Pippin. Half of her hoped for this foolishly. Something to do, someone to fight, rather than just sit and listen to the sounds of battle and death.

Before Pippin replied, he straightened up and looked at something past her, alarm in his eyes. Lara whipped around.

Faramir's stretcher was being moved, with men carrying torches on the sides, and Denethor in the lead.

They hastened to follow, but quietly, and peeked around the corner. They were lying Faramir on a stack of wood. And with a sudden horror, Lara realized what they were about to do. "NO!" she exclaimed, but Pippin covered her mouth.

"This must be handled correctly," he said, and hurried into the room, Lara watching from the doorway. "He's not dead," Pippin said. "He's not dead!" He began to shake the wood, and Lara rolled her eyes. _Handle this correctly, yeah right,_ she thought. "NO! He's not dead!" Pippin was shouting, as Denethor walked up and grabbed his arm. He dragged him towards the door.

"Farewell, Peregrin son of Paladin," Denethor said.

"NO! HE'S NOT DEAD!" Lara shouted, but they paid her no attention.

"I release you from my service," Denethor said to Pippin, throwing him outside. "Go now and die in what way seems best to you." He slammed the doors. "Pour oil on the wood!" they heard him shout from inside the room, and Lara began to cry.

"We have to find Gandalf again!" Pippin shouted, and began to dash off. Lara scrambled to catch up. "There's orcs in the city now," Pippin said, listening. "Here, you take the sword! I will block you." With that, the hobbits rushed down into the madness of the battle, in search of the White Wizard. "Gandalf!" they both shouted, but the men just staggered by, paying them no attention, and there was no sign of Gandalf. "Where is Gandalf? Gandalf!"

Dawn was approaching, and they still hadn't found Gandalf. They did not go down to the first level; orcs were now in the city, and the city had been breached.

Suddenly, they heard horns. As the sun rose, an army was approaching over the hill, thousands of men.

Rohan's army.

Lara wanted to cry with the relief of it; though they would still have to fight to be saved here. "Merry!" Pippin breathed. "What if Merry's with them?"

* * *

Merry stared out at the armies of Mordor in horror. The city was up burning, and orcs were streaming into the door. The castle had already been breached. He hoped Pippin was all right. The pure vastness of the Mordor army was enough to frighten him out of his wits. "Courage Merry," Eowyn whispered from behind him. "Courage for our friends."

How he admired and respected this woman! She bore him on her horse, and took him to battle with her. She was braver than a lot of men he knew, and tried hard to finish her example. "Whatever happens, stay with me," she whispered. "I'll look after you." As the war cries of Rohan filled the air, Merry and Eowyn joined in, the horns were blown, and with a wild cry of unison, they charged.

They fought hard into the day, and made excellent progress through the orcs. Merry, though he hated to admit it, was having a blast stabbing orcs from the horse, and battling alongside the brave Eowyn. The spirits were high in the soldiers of Rohan, until they noticed another army approaching, ridden by the oliphaunts; more men, and the large beasts to take down as well.

Merry took a deep breath, and prepared himself for anguish.

* * *

"Gandalf!" Pippin yelled, as they finally had spotted him. "Gandalf! Denethor has lost his mind! He's burning Faramir alive!"

Gandalf looked alarmed. He grabbed Pippin and Lara, shouted, "Up! Quickly!" And rode away, with both of them miraculously on the horse. Gandalf rode faster than was safe with three people, but Shadowfax knew how to handle it, and so did Gandalf. When they burst their way into Denethor's hall, he was standing amidst the wood, arms raised and oil all over his body, and Faramir was lying down. The fire was about to be started, but the man pulled away at the noise.

"Stay this madness!" Gandalf shouted. Denethor turned and looked at them. Angrily, he grabbed the torch from the man, and looking right at Gandalf, threw it down into the wood. Gandalf quickly grabbed a spear from one of the guards, and rushed forward on Shadowfax. He whacked Denethor off the wood, and without warning, Pippin lept into the midst of the fire near Faramir.

"PIPPIN!" Lara screeched, half horrified, and half amazed at the sudden bravery.

Yelling with the effort of it, Pippin rolled Faramir off the wood pile and they both landed safely on the ground, out of the fire. "No! You will not take my son from me!" Denethor shouted, taking a hold of Pippin.

"No! Pippin and Lara both shouted.

Gandalf rode up to Denethor, and Shadowfax reared up and kicked Denethor into the flames. They heard him whisper, "Faramir!" They looked at Faramir, and his eyes were opening; Denethor had realized he was alive. Suddenly, Denethor seemed to realize the heat was on him-yelling, he ran out of the room, consumed by fire. They hurried after him to watch where he went. He went to the very tip of the peak that jutted out from the courtyard. He ran out, and lept to the ground and to his death.

"So passes Denethor, son of Ecthelion," Gandalf muttered.

And Lara felt bloodthirsty and awful for admitting it, but she was glad to see him go.

* * *

Merry couldn't help but think Theoden was crazy.

How could they stand against these oliphaunts? And all the men on them? Merry hadn't thought much about the danger when he was killing the orcs, perhaps because it was his first battle, and it was going so well; but he had felt rather invincible out there, and now he felt quite the opposite. Exposed, vulnerable, and ready to be trampled by the oncoming army. But Theoden was shouting, "Reform the lines!" nonetheless.

A horn was blown somewhere to Merry's right, and Theoden yelled, "CHARGE!" And the men and horses rushed forward.

It was awful.

Men were slaughtered immediately by the feet of the oliphaunts, by their trunks swinging; men were thrown into the air. Merry thought wildly of Pippin in the city, if he was alive, but the rest was a blur. The sounds, the sights, it was all too much. Eowyn was a skilled and talented rider, and luck was on their side. They made it past the oliphaunts, and into more orcs, along with some more of the army. The Riders of Rohan were talented, and kept a wide berth from the path of the oliphaunts. The rest were still battling their way through.

To make matters worse, Men on top of the oliphaunts, in the baskets, were talented in archery, and shot down Riders of Rohan with arrows as they rode, but Rohan fired back, at the men and the oliphaunts. They were trusted enough with their horses to not control them, but instead fire arrows as the horses ran their course. Once again, Merry held his luck.

Eomer tossed a spear with skill, and it hit a man directly on top of an oliphaunt; he fell, and the spear also pierced the oliphaunt's ear. It roared in pain and veered off course, slamming into another one, and like dominoes, they both toppled over. Eowyn was in the midst of the stampede with Merry-they were doing quite well dodging the trampling feet. Eowyn dropped the reins and drew her sword. "Take the reins!" she shouted. "Pull him left!"

Eowyn was letting him control the horse? Merry's adrenaline was thundering through his veins, but his reflexes were quick. He saw a huge leg come out of nowhere, and Eowyn shouted, "LEFT!" But Merry was already pulling the horse safely away from the leg. Their path took them right underneath an oliphaunt; Merry steered it with surprising talent, and with swords in both hands, Eowyn slashed all the legs, and the beast's belly, and down it went.

Merry almost wanted to turn around and look at their handiwork as they heard the roar and the crash. They had done it! Eowyn and Merry, two misfits that were deemed unable to fight well, had taken down an oliphaunt on their own.

A lot happened in the next moment. An oliphaunt was taken down by multiple bows; it reared up, and Merry also pulled back the reins by instinct, because they were right behind the beast. He and Eowyn both toppled off the horse backwards as it fell down, and the oliphaunt began tipping over as well. Merry sat up and shouted Eowyn's name, but he no longer saw her.


	25. The Realization Stone

**a/n~ Ladies and Gentleman, this chapter will be exciting for you I would say ;) Thanks SO much to all my reviewers...reached the 150 mark, YAY...so enjoy this one, its for you guys :)**

**Reviewers**

Isabeau Jones~ HA! That's hilarious about your chores. Hope you can sit down and enjoy this one :) Thanks so much!

Dark-Angel2596~ Thanks :) Enjoy this one, I personally like it a lot!

Liv3NLove~ Thank you! I had a really difficult time with it...if he thought about her too much, it would seem unrealistic because he had the Ring and all, but I also wanted some Frodo/Lara time, even when they can't be together. Glad you liked it ;) Thanks again, and enjoy the chapter!

Christina Conlon~ Thanks! Really good chapter, well I hope you think so...I like what happens personally :) hehe enjoy!

nightchildx~ Hehe heffalumps. And you haven't seen hobbity drama yet ;) There is quite a bit this chapter, but I would say the next chapter and chapter after are the most dramatic, so sit back and enjoy the drama ride hehe!

Daisy~ Me too, love writing their teamwork! Haha, hope you will like this chapter :D Thanks again for reviewing!

LadyDorothy~ Panache...excellent word choice. LOL! I like it. Anyway, thanks so much for your comment and reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this one too :)

RWolfe94~ Me too, I love the Battle of Pelennor fields! And I'm glad you liked that...I wasn't going to add her in the part where Frodo blacked out originally but as I started writing it just seemed to fit :) Thanks again, and hope you enjoy this chapter!

~ Argh, me too! I don't know what I will do with myself without writing about Frodo and Lara! Haha, well a sequel maybe, who knows ;) Thanks for the review, hope you enjoy this one!

Lenonea~ Thanks :) Hope you enjoy this one too!

Jane~ HA! Nope, my name isn't Lara, or anything close :) If I actually could pick a name I really wanted, it wouldn't be Lara...but hobbits are supposed to have more simple names, and I wasn't feeling a flower name like most hobbit women, because Lara isn't a really flowery person, you know? :) Lol so Lara it was. And so glad you like the story! :) Yes, I have read the books, but this happens to be the movie version..I like writing along with the movies better, the books are too formal and this story I wanted to be more un-formal :) Thanks again, and enjoy thsi chapter I hope!

Princesa de Luna~ Thanks for your three reviews! Hope you enjoy this chapter, and I will hustle with the next one too :)

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Chapter 25

The Realization Stone

In Gondor, Lara and Pippin were sitting with Gandalf. The army of Gondor was in their last hope, defending the last place. There was beating on the door, the orcs and a cave troll outside, and the men were waiting to fight, bracing themselves for when the door broke. However, the three sat.

Pippin was resolved to their fate, and it scared Lara to see him this way. She thought there might be a chance of survival, a shred of one, and she held on to it. But Pippin's eyes were rimmed with red, he looked exhausted, and like he had given up. "I didn't think it would end this way," Pippin murmured to them both.

Gandalf looked at him. "End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path...one that we all must take." Gandalf smiled comfortingly. "The grey rain curtain of this world rolls back, and it all turns to silver glass. And then you see it..."

Lara and Pippin were both listening, mesmerized. This was, of course, coming from a man who had died. "What, Gandalf?" They both asked; Lara eagerly, Pippin quietly. "See what?"

"White shores...and beyond. A far green country, under a swift sunrise." Gandalf smiled.

"Well, that isn't so bad." Pippin said, smiling a little.

"No, no it isn't." Gandalf smiled at them both broadly. Another loud bang came from the door, and Gandalf nodded to them both bravely. Lara nodded back slowly, and as did Pippin, eyes screwed shut.

...

Merry coughed and sat up. He had barely made it out of the oliphaunt's fall, and was quite nearly crushed. But now he looked in horror. Theoden had been attacked from the Nazgul, and it looked as if Eowyn had defended him. Her helmet was still on, but Merry recognized her. She must have killed the dragon, because its head was off, and the Witch King was holding Eowyn by her throat.

Merry ran up without thinking, and plunged his little sword straight into the back of the Witch King. It harmed his hand, his whole arm; it was cramping, he thought it might fall off...he fell backwards, clutching it and yelling. He faintly saw Eowyn rip off her helmet, say, "I am no man," and plunge her sword straight into the Witch King's helmet.

There was a loud screech. The air seemed to suck out of the Nazgul, and he crumpled and died. And that's when Merry must have passed out from the pain.

...

Suddenly, there was a loud bang. The door swung open, but instead of a rush of metal and armour, Lara saw..._green_.

Ghosts, ghosts of men, and all the orcs and trolls lay dead upon the floor. They had rushed through the whole city, killing everything in their path.

It was over.

Tears were in her eyes as they immediately followed Gandalf out of the city, and to the battlefield, Pippin thinking of nothing but finding Merry. The relief that the battle was over was not quite there yet. They did not want their friend to be dead, and there was so much destruction.

But the dead men had showed up just in time-they had saved the people.

They were gathered in the battlefield now, in front of Aragorn, a mass of green. "Release us," one of them said to him.

"Bad idea," Gimli said. "Very handy in a tight spot, these lads, despite the fact that they're dead."

"You gave us your word," the ghost said, angrily. Lara guessed he was their leader; he wore a crown.

"I hold your oath fulfilled," Aragorn said gently. "Go. Be at peace." The ghost looked like he was smiling from where Lara was at; and just like that, a wind came, and the ghosts blew away, and were nothing but dust. She wished she knew what that had been all about.

Pippin could hardly pay attention to this, though Lara had to watch. They were ghosts after all. But now she joined Pippin in the search for Merry. It was Pippin that spotted him first, underneath an orc. He looked so small on this battlefield. His eyes were closed, and Lara felt her lip trembling. Merry could not be dead. "Merry!" Pippin rushed over, Lara on his heels. Pippin held him up like a child, and Lara supported his head, leaning over.

"Merry, it's me," Pippin whispered. "Pippin. Pippin and Lara, we're here."

He looked at them both, and said weakly, "I knew you'd find me." Then he paused. "Are you going to leave me?"

"No Merry," Lara whispered. "We're going to look after you."

And, using her talents she had learned in the infirmary, she checked Merry's wounds; Pippin covered him with a blanket, and together, they took care of their best friend.

* * *

They all sat in the great hall of Gondor, waiting for what to do next. Of course, there was nothing much they could do. The future relied on Frodo now. It was unspoken, but everyone was thinking it, and it was finally Gandalf who spoke. "Frodo has passed beyond my sight. The darkness is deepening."

"If Sauron had the Ring, we would know it," Aragorn said firmly.

"It's only a matter of time," Gandalf said. Lara let out a little gasp, and screwed her eyes shut. Pippin rubbed her shoulder comfortingly, and Merry just stared at her, and then back to Gandalf. His arm was still cramping up at odd times, and it looked a little more shriveled than before. Luckily, they had gotten him to the infirmary and Gandalf had a look at his arm in time. It had been beyond Lara's skill level. Gandalf continued speaking. "He has suffered a defeat, yes, but behind the walls of Mordor, our enemy is regrouping."

"Let him stay there," Gimli said. "Let him rot! Why should we care?" For one strange moment, Lara thought Gimli was speaking of Frodo. She had never known Gimli to say such a thing, but anger coursed through her and she felt as if she could kill him. She lept to her feet, but no one except Pippin and Merry noticed.

"Because ten thousand orcs now stand between Frodo and Mount Doom," Gandalf said, and Lara relaxed. Gimli had not been speaking of Frodo, but Sauron. She sank back to a sitting position. "I've sent him to his death," Gandalf whispered in anguish.

"No," Aragorn said. "There is still hope for Frodo. He needs time and safe passage across the Gorgoroth. We can give him that."

"How?" Gimli growled.

"Draw out Sauron's armies. Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march for the Black Gate."

Gimli coughed in surprise and choked on his pipe. Eomer stepped forward. "We can not achieve victory through strength in arms," he said.

"Not for ourselves," Aragorn said. "But we can give Frodo the chance if we keep Sauron's Eye fixed upon us." He looked back at Gandalf. "Keep him blind to all else that moves."

"A diversion," Legolas said, smiling.

"Sauron will suspect a trap," Gandalf said. "He will not take the bait."

"Certainty of death," Gimli said gruffly. "Small chance of success...what are we waiting for?"

Lara knew this plan was to give Frodo his one last chance to destroy the Ring, if he was still alive. She felt that he was; he needed to be alive. So maybe, this would give him his chance to survive his mission.

But there would be no survival for her. Nor for Merry and Pippin...Aragorn, Gimli, or Legolas. Not for Gandalf. Not for the countless people willing to march to the Black Gate of Mordor, to keep Sauron's eye fixed on them. The distraction was what Frodo and Sam needed. Lara despaired of ever seeing them again, because Gimli had said it himself; there was no chance of success for them-only for Sam and Frodo.

All throughout this war, she had given herself the chance of survival. Never had she completely given up, nor despaired of seeing Frodo and Sam again. But now, she knew this was it. The very last battle, the one where she must not survive.

But was this not better, to die in place of her friends?

And it was then that the lightbulb clicked on in Lara's head, the realization flooded into her very being. This last push over the edge, the thought that she would die, knowing full well, without a doubt, that she would not survive to see Frodo again, made her realize something that she should have long ago.

It was certainly better to die now, to give _Frodo_ the chance to survive.

To die in place of someone that she loved.

She stood for a long time, face rigid, shock coursing through her very body.

This was certainly the day for epiphanies, because, after Lara got over the shock and she found the use of her legs, she sprinted out of the hall, ignoring Gandalf's voice calling her back, or Merry's, asking where she was going. They did not have to worry. They would be leaving soon, she knew, but she wouldn't miss out on the opportunity to help Frodo. However, there was something she had to do first, and she hoped it wouldn't take long.

She pressed on, though her body ached in protest, her injuries screaming at her to stop.

Excitement was overtaking her by the time she made it to her room and grabbed her bag, searching for the stone of Galadriel.

Her instincts told her that it was ready to use now, whatever the use may be. She did not take a second to even marvel over the genius of the Elves, how they had predicted this, but rather grabbed it and worked to keep her voice down. "I love him!" she exclaimed, as quietly as her excitement would allow. "I love Frodo Baggins."

Immediately Galadriel's face appeared in the clear rock, smiling at Lara-or maybe that was Lara's imagination, because in the next instant, she was gone, and the rock was expanding. It was not a rock, for it was too clear, like water, but Lara could not see her own reflection. She saw something else entirely; fire and stone, blackness...and then the blackness turned into black locks, curly black locks, and above them were sandy ones, and Lara squinted eagerly.

She was watching Frodo and Sam in Mordor.

* * *

"Prepare for battle," Gandalf said to everyone still present in the room, and instantly everyone scattered, having something to do, or someone to tell what to do. Merry and Pippin, who had nothing to do but prepare themselves, stayed put.

"Where did she go?" Merry asked, looking after Lara, who had just vanished ten seconds earlier.

"I don't know," Pippin said. "I will go look and let you know."

"Well I think I should-"

"No Merry. I will do it."

"But I wanted to tell her..." Merry trailed off, and then covered his face with his hands. "I can't do it, Pip," he said quietly. "I was sick, so I decided not to tell her, and now I just feel like I should. We will probably all die soon, but I just can't bring myself to tell her..."

"Let me go find her," Pippin said. "And I don't think you should tell her until this is all over."

"But that's just it, Pip! What if we die and I never told her?"

"Then she will know when she dies. Please Merry. I wouldn't tell her yet."

Pippin was firm, and Merry seemed confused, but he nodded and hurried away to prepare himself for the battle. Pippin immediately set off after Lara, knowing full well she had gone to her room.

The thing about being around Lara by himself was, that he had gotten to know her so much better. He had done a lot of growing up on this adventure, and he was an extremely smart hobbit. He knew instinctively that she had ran to her room-something was either very wrong, or just a shock, because Pippin had watched her face the entire time before she had dashed away. Something was on her mind, and he figured it was better he find out before Merry did.

Merry was itching to confess his love for her, and Pippin had the feeling that now was not the best time.

In fact, he had the feeling that never was the best time, because Pippin could see that her heart belonged to someone else. He did not want Merry to be hurt, especially now, before this last battle was to be fought. He did not want Merry to die with a broken heart.

He had just made it to her room, when he heard rummaging, and finally a gasp of excitement. It was silent for two seconds, and then he heard a fierce whisper, "I love him! I love Frodo Baggins."

Pippin had suspected as much, but to hear this from her was something different entirely. And he remembered the stone of Galadriel; this must be what she was using, so what was happening now? He strained to listen, but the room was utterly silent, and Pippin was afraid to go in. He slowly backed away from the door, knowing that Merry must be kept from revealing his feelings until after the battle.

If they lived that long.

* * *

Lara pressed her face up against the clear mirror eagerly.

Frodo and Sam were climbing up the mountainside. Frodo was ragged and worn down; his eyes were rimmed with red from exhaustion, and he and Sam both had bags under their eyes. Their clothes were torn and tattered. They were on the side of Mount Doom. Frodo slipped and fell, and he seemed unable to get up.

Frodo's face was so near that Lara could touch it. It was like looking into a mirror, and she reached her hand out, but only felt the clear, enlarged rock.

Frodo's face was filthy, and he was looking up at the mountain, his destination with a look on his face that almost broke Lara's heart. She saw everything; resignation, fear, and certainty of death, in his eyes. How she wished she could be with him now! She whispered his name, but of course he did not hear her. Frodo must have gathered his strength again, because he groaned and pulled himself upwards again.

The Ring was dangling from his neck, and he was struggling to even move. Lara watched, mixed between horror and fascination. She almost wanted to sprint out of the door and run to Mordor right this minute to be with Frodo. Frodo's strength finally hit a wall, and he lay down. Sam hurried to him and held his head up. Frodo's eyes were now closed. "Do you remember the Shire, Mr. Frodo?" Sam whispered. "It will be spring soon, and the orchards will be in blossom. And the birds will be nesting in the hazel thicket."

Frodo had opened his eyes. "And they'll be sowing the summer barley in the lower fields, and eating the first of the strawberries with cream. Do you remember the taste of strawberries?"

"No Sam," Frodo whispered hoarsely. "I don't recall the taste of food. Nor the sound of water. Nor the touch of grass...I'm naked in the dark. There's-there's nothing. No veil between me and the wheel of fire. I can see him, with my waking eyes!" And Frodo looked truly frightened now, horrified, his voice even hoarser as he cried out, and Lara began to sob.

"Then let us be rid of it!" Sam snarled. "Once and for all. Come on, Mr. Frodo! I can't carry it for you...but I can carry YOU! Come on!" And with that, Sam hoisted up Frodo and began to walk up the mountain, his face fiercely determined. The vision shut off, and Lara sat, quite in shock at what she had seen.

Bless Sam.

How she wished she could do what Sam was doing for Frodo. But she was so lucky, lucky he had Sam, and she was so grateful to him. They were alive, and on their way to Mount Doom. But how had they gotten through Mordor so quickly? The orcs had not even been emptied out yet. Was their distraction plan not needed?

She glanced down at the rock, and it suddenly said on it, "I show not the present, but the near future." Lara knew this must have just appeared, because she had studied the rock before and there was nothing. So the answer was clear.

Their distraction plan would work.

It would work for Frodo. Once the two got to Mount Doom, which they would, thanks to Sam, it would be over.

Frodo and Sam could live.

Lara smiled, and rushed off to start to prepare for battle with the rest.


	26. Pride and Heartache

a/n~ So you guys might kill me at the end of this chapter ;) I have the next one written...I'm going to set up a little poll for you, so if you could go take it on my profile, that would be fantastic. I would love to get some feedback before I post the next chapter. And of course my lovely reviewers always make my day :) You have no idea how often I check for reviews, people. It really inspires me to write, so all my chapters are for those that take the time to let me know how much they like (or even don't like) my story! But it ain't over yet, folks! :) And the next chapter is my personal favorite... :D

**I wrote this song while listening to, My Love, which is sung by "Sia." The last parts of the chapter go better with it, so to spice up your reading you could listen to that! Very pretty song.**

* * *

Reviewers:

**poakkis**~ I know, poor Merry, huh? You will feel more sorry for him this chapter... :( I did while writing it lol. But yes, I almost started dancing at Lara's part too! Hehe :) Enjoy the chapter, thanks soo much for reviewing!

**LadyDorothy**~ Haha yep, that was my plan for the gift all along :) I love stories when things crop up later that you almost forget about, so that's what I tried to do here! Thanks for reviewing, enjoy the chapter!

**RWolfe94**~ I know, I'm excited to finally be finishing this story after two years, but also sad :( Lol well I personally like this chapter and the one after a ton, so I hope you do too! Thanks so much for reviewing :)

**Christina Conlon**~ I know, gotta love Sam! Thanks for reviewing once again, and enjoy this chapter :)

**Katia0203**~ I went with the movie version on this one...it just fits the whole "Hobbit unity" theme I have had throughout the story and I love that scene...although when I was writing this chapter I was seriously considering having Merry stay out of it because it didn't make sense. But hey, fanfiction has its benefits I suppose hehe. Hope you enjoy this chapter even with the wrong scene! Lol thanks for reviewing :)

**Isabeau Jones**~ Don't be terrified :) This chapter might be the most dramatic...or possibly the next, depends on how you look at it lol. But enjoy, thanks for the review!

~ I know, I'm getting towards the end, it's soo sad haha. and the hint hint nudge nudge...are you saying you want her to be with merry at the end? so curious to know what you think! :) i set up a poll which you should go take, i would appreciate the input! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

**Dark-Angel2596**~ Hmm, well I may need a sequel, but I may not...we will see how it ends I guess ;) Well I already know of course haha. Just rubbing it in ;) Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you very much for your review, it is so appreciated!

**Stephanie**~ Thanks, always glad to hear input! Hope you like this chapter too :)

**ShortHappens**~ I love re-reading stories at times, it adds to them a lot! I hope it won't take you so long either, because I was hoping you would review before I posted this chapter :) Because this is an extra peanut butter fluffy chapter, and so is the next one, so break out those pjs and the ice cream! Haha thanks again, soooo much! :D Btw, you should go check out my poll!

**smellyninja**~ Well I'm happy that you liked that idea haha! I liked it too :) And you will see them reunite soon enough...MAYBE. Just to keep you wondering there ;) Thanks for the review and enjoy the chappie!

**Daisy**~ Oh I know, I seriously cry with happiness at that part every time in the movie. Just the friendship and loyalty and emotions and the emotional music and it is just so...EMOTIONAL. haha :) And I like angst too lol (I consider it a guilty pleasure). So anyhoo, glad you liked the chapter and I hope you LOVE this one too, its nice and angsty for ya! :) Thanks again!

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Chapter 26

Pride and Heartache

Gondor's army left at mid-morning to ride to the gates of Mordor.

Many marched, and the front lines rode horses; however, once there, everyone would be on their feet attacking the lines of Mordor. When they finally reached the Black Gate, Lara felt a thrill of excitement and fear. She knew Frodo was somewhere beyond that Gate, safe and sound. No one else was aware of the vision she had had. This was something she wanted to keep to herself, quite selfishly.

The troops lined up and set themselves stoutly. They were ready.

Lara glanced at Pippin after nothing happened for a while. "Where are they?" Pippin muttered, who was sitting with Gandalf. Legolas had Gimli; Lara was pleasantly surprised at the unlikely frienship between the two. Eomer had agreed to carry Merry, and Lara rode with Aragorn. Aragorn glanced back over his shoulder, and the four horses rode up to the Black Gate. Lara was excited to be part of the main group, even though it meant more than likely riding to her death.

Her death would not be in vain, she knew.

She looked sideways once they reached the Gate and saw Merry watching her face. She gave him a reassuring smile, and he smiled back. Once Aragorn started to speak, their attention was riveted to the gate, mouths agape.

"Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth!" Aragorn shouted. "Let justice be done upon him!"

There was an extremely long silence, in which some of the army grew fidgety. Lara wondered if the Gate would indeed open, and by the looks on Merry and Pippin's faces, they were wondering the same thing. But suddenly, with a loud creak, the gate began to swing out towards them.

And the first and last thing they could see were Orcs.

There must have been millions of them, all geared to fight; Mordor must be empty now, thousands upon thousands of orcs marching to the tiny army of Gondor. "Fall back," Aragorn said. "Fall back!" And they rode their horses away from the approaching army, back to be in the front lines of Gondor once more, Sauron's eye now shining brilliantly upon them like the sun, and Eomer's white flag of Gondor rippling in the wind.

The men were rustling back. Lara was looking back over her shoulder at Mount Doom, knowing that Frodo and Sam must be nearly there...

"Hold your ground!" Aragorn shouted. "Hold your ground!" He began to trot in front of the army, and Lara realized that he would make the speech to the army, and while she didn't have to say or do anything, she was still on display for everyone to see. She found herself blushing as Aragorn began to speak to the men, and he was now riding surprisingly fast. She had to hold on for dear life not to fall off.

"Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers!" he shouted. "I see in your eyes, the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we foresake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship." And a wild light entered his eyes; Lara could not see him, but she knew Aragorn well enough that she could hear it in his voice. "But it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of Men comes crashing down. But it is not this day! This day we fight!"

"By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!" He raised his sword, and the horse reared back. Lara gasped and almost fell off. When it came back down to all four legs, she hurried off the horse and drew her sword as well. Aragorn clambered off his horse, as did the others on horseback. The orcs were advancing quickly, but all had eyes for Aragorn.

Aragorn slowly turned and looked at them. And then with a smile, he said in a quiet voice, that everyone seemed to hear: "For Frodo." And he ran forward.

With a yell, Pippin dashed after him, Lara and Merry immediately on his heels. The heard the whole army jolt into action behind them, and they were soon overtaken by the legs that were bigger, stronger, and faster than theirs, but they didn't care-they continued right on their way amongst the Men.

And the battle began.

Merry, Pippin, and Lara stuck in a close circle. Merry had picked up quite well on swordfighting, and even with his hurt arm, he seemed to be doing quite well. An orc seemed to sense weakness, and rushed for them. Lara ducked underneath it's legs; Pippin blocked it from Merry with his shield, and Merry dived off to the side. Lara jumped on the orcs' back, and they both tumbled over. Lara, who was quicker, leaped up, and Merry had time to stick it with a sword.

"Nice," Merry muttered to her, and she grinned, brandishing her sword.

She knew this was entirely hopeless. The orcs were so numerous, and they were making a circle around Gondor's little army. But the three Hobbits continued to fight this way and look out for each other, and the adrenaline was wonderful. Gandalf saved them a few times. And then, they heard the shriek of the Nazgul. Before the panic could really set in, something incredible and wonderful happened.

A giant eagle swooped and took down the Nazgul. "Eagles!" Pippin shouted. "The Eagles are coming!"

The Eagles easily took on the Nazgul, and the army could concentrate more about what was on the ground. They didn't even notice when the Nazgul abandoned the fight, and headed back towards Mount Doom, nor did they have time to think about what that meant.

The fight continued on, and Lara killed more orcs than she could count. She had tried to keep up with Merry, but it was impossible, and Merry was too talented. A cave troll was pinning Aragorn, and Lara wanted to help, but she was surrounded, the orcs were caving the army in, it was getting more and more hopeless by the second...

An orc ran up to the three hobbits; Pippin was shielding Merry, and Lara ran over to distract it. However, it was quicker than most orcs; it reached forward and slashed her shoulder. Blood began to spill, and she vaguely heard Merry calling her name before she started feeling sick. She cried out in pain, kneeled on the ground, clutching her arm. She knew it would fall off any second, she needed something to stop the blood flow...

But then, a loud, piercing sound that was worse than any of the Nazguls' cries was heard.

Everything seemed to freeze.

The orcs turned and watched. Gandalf stood straight up and observed, and Lara literally climbed up Legolas' back to see what was going on, through the pain in her arm.

Sauron's eye was falling, the tower crumbling beneath him. And Lara suddenly knew what had happened. Frodo had done it. He and Sam had made it into Mount Doom, and cast the Ring away, destroying evil for good.

Pride for Frodo swelled up into her heart, and her love for him seemed to burst through her pores. She was transfixed, mouth agape and watching, and so was everyone else. Gandalf had tears in his eyes, but Lara was too surprised to even cry. Merry and Pippin's eyes were the widest Lara had ever seen them, Merry mouthing soundlessly. Aragorn sat so still that he looked carved of stone.

And then the tower of Sauron imploded, throwing debris everywhere, and the eye disappeared. The force of this was causing the ground in Mordor to crumble. Merry was suddenly shouting. "Frodo! FRODO!" He was pumping his fist in the air triumphantly. Gimli had the largest smile on his face. The ground was turning into an abyss, and as if it knew where the orcs were, it swallowed them up whole, and the orcs were gone.

There was no longer an army to fight.

The Black Gate crumbled, and everything was wonderful; Lara was suddenly screaming along with Merry, right in Legolas' ear, but Legolas did not seem to mind.

But then, Mount Doom exploded, erupting lava high into the sky, half of it falling apart, and everyone stopped cheering, because Frodo and Sam were still in there.

Merry paused in mid-cheer. Gandalf watched, alarmed, a tear running down his cheek. Lara let out a strangled cry and covered her mouth, and Aragorn and Gimli looked horrified. Pippin was already on the ground, in tears and mourning for Frodo and Sam. Lara kneeled on the ground and joined him, unable to cry, but just sat dimly, holding her arm, which was sure to bring her to her death soon without care-but she didn't mind. In fact, she would have welcomed it.

Nothing mattered anymore.

The Ring was destroyed, but so was Frodo. There was no way out anymore, no easy death to take. Evil was destroyed, but at the price of _him_.

Lara couldn't take it, the mental pain was so intense that her stomach was twisting up in knots, and she couldn't wrap her mind around it, and if she did, her mind might have been lost. Her arm was nothing compared to this. Frodo, her Frodo, he could not be dead! She was on her knees now, head on the ground. What was the point of living in a happy world, a free world, if there was no Frodo in it? She knew there could be none other for her. After this, her arm twinged again, everything went black, and she faintly heard Merry's voice saying her name before she must have passed out.

* * *

Frodo, however, was not dead as his friends anticipated.

He and Sam had barely escaped Mount Doom, and were now lying on a rock, trapped by lava, but also entirely alive. Frodo was laying down on his back, and he whispered, "I can see the Shire...Bag End. Gandalf's fireworks. The lights in the Party Tree. Lara with her hair all curly and that dress..."

"Rosie Cotton dancing," Sam said hopelessly, and Frodo looked up at him. "She had ribbons in her hair. If ever I was to marry someone...it would've been her. It would've been her," he sobbed, and Frodo, also with tears in his eyes, sat up and put his forehead against Sam's head, also thinking he felt the exact same way about Lara.

"They are safe now," Frodo said. "Because of you, Sam. You carried me to Mount Doom. You saved Rosie Cotton, and you saved Lara for me. I'm glad I sent her back, and she can live now. Most of all, I'm glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee...here at the end of all things."

It was a long time, the hobbits weren't quite sure how long, before the Eagles came to rescue them. It might have been hours, or days, or maybe a week, Frodo did not know. He lay and thought of Lara, he pictured her brown, curly hair quite precisely, her face and the freckles on her nose, the small gaps in her teeth, the curve of her nose...how she looked, just so precisely, because that was exactly what he wanted the very last image in his mind to bebefore he died, the image of something he loved more than life itself.

He almost didn't realize it when he was picked up by the Eagles, and taken to safety by Gandalf.

* * *

The low mutter came across the room so quietly and quickly that Lara was not even sure that she heard it at all. She lept up and hurried to stand directly over the little bed, glancing at Gandalf excitedly, who was sitting on the other side.

"Lara..."

"He said my name," Lara exclaimed, leaning over him now. Frodo was pale against the sheets, and there was a nurse bent over him as well. They were in the infirmary of Gondor. "He said my name! He's alive!"

"He has been alive all along, my dear Lara," Gandalf said to her gently. "You just haven't believed me."

"But he wasn't moving or making a sound or anything, but now...he said my name, he's alive! Will he wake up?"

"I think not yet," Gandalf said. "Why don't you go eat something? You haven't eaten in many hours."

"Gandalf-"

"Now." He said this a little more firmly, so Lara frowned and turned away, hurrying out of the room. The faster she ate, the faster she would get back to Frodo. It had been like this for the past three days. Gandalf forcing her to leave and eat. She was hungry, yes, but she did not want to be away when Frodo woke up. He had to know that she was there, waiting for him, and hoping for him.

The happiness swelled inside her like a balloon; true, Gandalf had been telling her that Frodo would survive, but he had lain so motionless for the past few days that Lara could not help but be anxious. But now that he was truly alive, the happiness that had been kept at bay for the past three days was threatening to overtake her. The Ring was destroyed, and they could go home. All was well, and everyone was alive. The relief was so great that she wanted to cry from it. But instead, she had a grin on her face that would not leave, a ridiculous grin.

When she reached the dining room, she did not find the other hobbits. She ate a hastened meal, and then was right back on her way to Frodo's room, when a curly haired figure appeared to her left.

"Pippin," she said happily. "Frodo said my name! He is alive!"

He smiled. "That's great! But I have something to talk to you about." His voice got ever so quiet and serious, and for the first time since Frodo had said her name, her grin faltered. "It's about Merry," Pippin said, and for some reason, Lara's heart dropped unpleasantly. "He's going to come talk to you in a minute, I think."

"What about?"

"He-" Pippin hesitated. "Look...you love Frodo, right?"

Lara blinked. She had not shared this with anyone. "How did you-"

"I heard you in your room," Pippin admitted, a little sheepishly.

"Oh," was all Lara could think to say. "Well..."

"Just-just be nice to Merry, please?" Pippin pleaded.

"Pippin, he is my friend, of course I am going to be nice to him! Now what in Middle Earth are you talking about?"

"I tried to warn him," Pippin said. "I told him all along it was Frodo. Just be extra nice to him, okay?" Lara got this horrible, trickling feeling of fear, but then smothered it again, trying not to understand what Pippin meant. The problem was, she thought she knew full well what was going on, and it made her feel slightly sick to her stomach.

"Of course I will," she said, and Pippin patted her on the shoulder, and without another word, walked away.

Lara glanced around nervously, and hurried back to Frodo's room. Luckily, she did not encounter Merry on the way, though she knew she would have to face him sometime. Her happiness had deflated somewhat, but seeing Frodo once more brought a sense of calm to her heart like she had never known. She only could only hope that when he woke up, he would be all right; back to the Frodo she had grown up with, the Frodo she could talk to. In essence, the Frodo she had fallen in love with.

She did not know how the Ring would affect him now, or if it would at all, but of course she would help him no matter what.

The question was, when he woke up, did she tell him how she felt? What would she do? She had pondered this long and hard, sitting there in his room, watching him sleep, but had come up with no answers.

Gandalf was no longer in the room. Lara was not surprised by this, since he came and went as he pleased. It was approaching evening, and he must have gone away for the night. Normally he came and told Lara to go sleep in her room, but tonight he did not. The hour got later and later, and Lara found herself dozing, her head bobbing as she fought to stay awake in her chair.

She woke up again some time later, not quite sure what the time was, and immediately glanced at Frodo's bed. Still asleep, of course. She walked over quietly and put her hands to the bangs on his forehead, brushing them to the side softly, just taking in his face, that he was really here, alive...

"Lara?"

She whipped around to see Merry standing in the doorway cautiously. "Hi Merry," she said, struggling to keep her voice light and normal. "It's late." She sounded more strangled than anything, and he frowned.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes, of course, I-Frodo is alive for sure, he said-um...well he talked earlier," she finished sheepishly.

"That's great news," Merry said, but his eyes did not roam to Frodo. They never left Lara's face. "Will you come and take a walk with me?"

Lara fought the urge to sigh, knowing this had to be done at some point. She nodded, gave him a small smile, and followed him out of the room. The stars were extremely bright tonight, as was the moon. It lit up the White City so it looked quite breathtaking. Of course, so much damage was done that it was depressing as well, but Lara tried to concentrate on the gleaming white walls more than the fallen towers and crushed walls, or the panic building up inside her.

Merry voiced what she had been thinking. "Too bad there is so much destruction. It really would be beautiful."

"Yes," Lara said quietly. She marveled at how formal Merry had become. They walked down a flight of stairs, and were beginning to walk through the city, and Merry still had not said a word. Finally, to break the silence, Lara asked, "How are your injuries?"

"Very mild," Merry said. "I was just so relieved when Rohan came to Gondor's aid. I would have been ashamed to be left behind."

"I understand," Lara said.

He looked at her and stopped walking. She stopped abruptly too and waited. "I hear you were left behind," Merry said, his tone no longer formal, but gentle. "I am sorry."

"Yes, well," Lara said, a little testily. She tried hard to think of Pippin, and reminded herself that no matter what Merry said to her, she would be extremely nice and polite to him. She braced herself for what he would say next.

"You stay in Frodo's room all day and well into the night," Merry said quietly, hurt in his eyes. "I understand waiting for him to wake up-I am as well-but I was hoping to see you more often than I do now, especially after being apart for so long."

"Yes. I was very worried about you," Lara said.

"Were you?" He smiled brightly, and Lara fought not to groan. She had only meant to reassure him that he had been in her thoughts, as her friend, but of course it would not be taken that way. "I was worried about you too," he said quietly, stepping forward and taking her face in his hands.

"Of course I worried about you," Lara said. "I worried about everyone. I worried about my friends." She brushed away and started to walk again, and he followed her.

"Friends?" he repeated, and she heard his tone. She forced herself to turn and look at him, and his face was a mask. She almost cringed. "You worry for me, as a friend?" His voice got lower, and more full of hurt. "You worry for Frodo, as a friend?" He hung his head, and she realized that he had known all along she was a lost cause to him, and her heart broke for Merry. No matter what, she would hurt one of them.

And it had to be Merry. She could not hurt Frodo.

She reached out and touched his face, trying hard not to cry. "Merry..." she whispered. "I love you." At these words, he looked up hopefully.

Lara, however, shook her head slowly as tears filled her eyes. "I've known you the longest of all my friends. I love you...but not in that way. So don't make me choose...because it will be him. It's always been him," she said, keeping her tone as gentle and kind as those words could allow. She wanted to leave no room for interpretation, though it killed her to speak to him this way. She had to make herself very clear, so Merry knew there was no hope. She did not want to give him false hope.

Her tears threatened to spill over at the look on Merry's face. She screwed her eyes shut with the pain of it. All the hurt and pain and rejection that she had felt when Frodo had left her, here in Gondor, was apparent in his face, except this was worse. This was his heart being broken in front of her very eyes. This wasn't about his safety or because she cared for him-no, this was because of her lack of feelings for him, and it was all her fault he was hurting. "Oh Merry, I'm sorry," she cried out, throwing her arms around his neck. "I wish I could give you the love you deserve."

He was silent for a moment, just hugging her back awkwardly, and she pulled back to look at him. "It's all right," he said in a low voice. "I think a part of me always knew."

Poor Merry-how good he was to her, even after she hurt him so badly. He still hugged her back, for a long time, and offered to walk her back to her room. Once there, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight Merry," she said. "I do love you dearly."

"But not the love I want from you," he said, "Not enough." And with one small, painful smile, he turned and walked away, slightly hunched, and very slowly.

Lara did not sleep that night.

She lay awake for hours, until finally, the tiniest amount of light was appearing over the horizon. She could not bear to think of Merry, and she did not, but instead, just lay there numbly and stared at her ceiling. She wished she could wake Pippin and talk to him, but he did not like to be woken up. Most of all, she wanted Frodo to wake, but she wasn't even quite sure what would happen when he did, and she was slightly scared of that moment.

After deciding she could not possibly lay in bed another minute, she hurried up to Frodo's room, still in her nightclothes.

She sat in her chair, but grew restless, and moved to sit on the edge of his bed. Once again, she sat and stroked his face, just enjoying his presence, though he was not aware of hers. Tears welled up in her eyes finally, as her exhaustion overtook her, and the events of the night before, or earlier that morning, Lara wasn't sure, began to replay in her head. And when she thought of Merry's heartbroken face, knowing she had caused it, she broke down and began to cry.

How could she do such a thing to her best friend?

The tears blurred her vision and she pulled her hands away from Frodo's face and covered her own. She sank down until she was laying on the bed, and her whole body shook with sobs. When they had quieted down somewhat, some time later-perhaps hours later-she was suddenly so tired. She could think of nothing except to sleep.

She lay down next to Frodo, scooting close and tucking her head near his chest. Though asleep, he was her supreme comfort. She could look at him and know that she had made the right choice. More tears continued down her cheeks, and she willed herself to sleep. She could not even think of going back to her room and being alone.

The tears were threatening her vision again, but not so much that she couldn't see the flash of brightest blue, a blue that she had dreamed of for weeks.

Her shock stopped her tears, and she wiped them away to make sure she had really seen what she had thought she had seen.

And she had.

Frodo's eyes were open.

* * *

**a/n~ Don't kill me for the cliffie! :) Hehe, the next chapter is written, so really it is up to YOU how soon you see it... ;) Two matters of importance:**

**First, I have set up a poll which I think every single one of my readers should go take, even if you don't review. It will take like ten seconds and it will let me know what you all think should happen at the end of this story :) So just go to my profile and check it out, I would REALLY appreciate it. But also review too, if you please, because I love reading those so much, they always make my day.**

**Second, congrats and THANK YOU to my reviews. This is officially my most reviewed story, and has even surpassed "Stay" which was extremely popular when it was being written. By the way, if you guys haven't checked it out and you are into the whole Frodo/OC, no slash, angst thing, check it out and let me know what you think in a review. Thanks again for being so awesome, you guys! :) **

**So do the poll and check out Stay and review it if you haven't already...thanks!**


	27. Finally Woken

**a/n~ oh my faithful reviewers of last chapter! I'm not going to reply personally, but I read each one about a dozen times, and a million thank yous to each and every one of you! You really make me want to keep going. I want to get this out to you soon, so here it is, and i think there will be another chapter or two after this, we shall see. So for those of you who have laughed and cried and sighed along with the story, here is the chapter that most of you (according to the poll) hehe, have been waiting for :) Without furthur ado, I give you chapter 27...please review!**

**And also, I have a beautiful song you NEED to listen to while reading. PLEASE do this. It adds to it so much. The song is: Roslyn, by Bon Iver and St. Vincent. You can listen to it for free at dilandau . com, or rhapsody . com. Let me know what you think about the song and chapter, guys :)**

Chapter 27

Finally Woken

Lara stopped crying in an instant.

For a long time, she just gazed into Frodo's eyes, and he into hers; but not romantically. Both were just staring, slightly in shock. And then she heard her name slide off of his lips, and she almost closed her eyes to revel in the sound of his quiet voice, so much like an angel's. "Lara?" he whispered in awe, suddenly cupping her face. "Lara," he breathed, closing his eyes. "You're alive." He brushed his finger against her cheek gently. He must have felt a tear, because he opened his eyes in an instant, looking horrified. "Lara!" he exclaimed, in a hushed shout. "Why are you crying?"

"I just...oh...Merry..." Lara felt a fresh wave of tears coming. She chastised herself for beginning to sob over Merry when she had Frodo, here and awake, but she couldn't help it. She hated that she had hurt her best friend.

She could feel Frodo stiffen, but he wrapped his arms around her all the same and waited for her to calm down a bit. "What happened?" he asked gently, but she still knew him well enough that she could detect the curiousity burning in his words.

"I broke his heart," she mumbled into his shoulder.

He pulled her head back to stare her in the eyes. "You broke his heart?" Lara nodded mutely, lips quivering. He tucked her head back to his chest. "Don't cry," he whispered. "Please don't cry." His hand stroked her hair, and she just lay like this, eyes closed, for a moment. She could feel the silence thickening, and she waited for Frodo to say something. And then a sudden thought occured to her.

"Frodo, are you hurt?" she looked up at him, examining him.

He hesitated. "Well, you could say that I suppose. It doesn't hurt anymore." But she was already looking at burn marks on his upper chest and neck. "Not those," Frodo said. "I was captured in Cirith Ungol and they tortured me a bit." Lara winced, willing herself to push it away. "But I meant this."

He held up his hand, and Lara was shocked to see one of his fingers missing. "How-"

"Gollum bit it off," he finished for her, giving her a weak smile that was more like a grimace. Lara sensed that she shouldn't ask questions just yet. But she did have another, important question to ask him.

"Frodo...how do you feel? I mean, now that-that it is gone?"

He was quiet a moment. "It will never truly leave me, I think. It is a burden I will always carry, the memories. But they should fade better with time, and I feel no longer possessed or too heavy. I feel well."

"I'm so glad," she whispered, and he hugged her suddenly tighter. "You did it, Frodo. _You_ saved Middle-Earth. You are...so brave."

He did not say anything, but she could tell he was smiling. "Lara?"

"Hmm?" she murmured.

"You don't know how relieved I am that you are alive."

"Me too, Frodo."

"No, I mean...I thought about you the most...whether you were alive. That's why I made you stay in Gondor. I'm so sorry-" He seemed to choke on his words a little "-but if you had died..." He seemed to choke again, unable to continue.

"I could have died in Gondor too." She said this gently, however, because she now finally understood why he did it, because she would have done the same. She just wanted to hear him say it.

"I know, but you had a better chance there than with me. I was so sure my mission was suicide. I couldn't bear to take you to the same fate. I had to give you a chance. I wish you would have listened to me and stayed in Bree in the first place." He shook his head at her stubbornness, but he was smiling. "Then you wouldn't have had to endure anything."

"The worry would have driven me mad," Lara stated stoutly. "I would have been placed under a doctor's care for life."

He laughed and rumpled her hair affectionately, but when their eyes met, his hand snapped back to his side very quickly.

"Well we are alive and well now," she pointed out, to break the awkward and strange silence. "Are you sure you don't hurt anywhere? Can I get you something? Are you hungry?"

"I am sure," he said. "What about you? You will have to tell me all about everything later. But the battle? Were you hurt?"

"Not really," she said, averting her eyes, but he had already noticed her bandanged arm. He gasped in horror, groaned, and then slumped back on the pillows. "It's just a little cut," she said defensively. "And besides, it doesn't hurt anymore." She smiled at him, and he tried to smile back, but it was strangled. Lara was reminded strangely of her trying to smile at Merry, and her face must have fallen, because he asked, "So what happened to Merry?"

"I told him..." Lara trailed off, because she wasn't quite sure how to explain this to Frodo without bringing up the fact that she loved him. "Well...that I love him...as a friend."

"I see," Frodo said quietly, and his eyes seemed slightly happy, but also clouded. "I'm sorry this has hurt you," he said, his voice anguished. "What did he say?"

"He was very good," Lara said. "He said he thought he always knew." She decided to leave out the major factor in her and Merry's conversation, which had been Frodo himself. They were silent for some time, looking at each other. "I worried so much for you, Frodo," she confessed, and he sighed, nodding.

"As did I."

He hesitated slightly. "Lara, I..." he trailed off, staring at her. He bit his lip, which surprised Lara. Frodo rarely showed signs of emotion such as nervousness or anxiety by biting his lip; in fact, Lara didn't think he ever had. Instead, he shut himself away and got quieter when something was bothering him. "I have something to say," he said finally, looking very seriously at her.

She swallowed loudly. "Okay."

"I have to apologize for how I made you stay in Rivendell. And I was too cowardly to make you stay earlier, and I apologize for that."

"Frodo, you did try to make me stay. In Bree. And numerous times after that. I followed, remember?"

He chuckled. "Yes, I was quite angry about that. But also, selfishly, I so glad you were there."

"I was glad to be there," Lara said. "And I forgive you. Is...is that everything?" she asked hopefully.

"Lara, I-I..." he seemed to flush a little, and look down. "I'm hungry," he mumbled.

Lara quickly hid her disappointment, and when he looked up again, she was smiling brilliantly. "Of course you are," she said kindly. "Let's get you up and get you something to eat. Can you walk all right?" She reached out her arm to him, and he was just sitting up when Sam walked in the room. She found herself thanking the stars that Sam had not walked in when she had been lying in Frodo's bed.

"FRODO!" Sam shouted, hurrying over. "You're awake!"

Gandalf arrived soon after that; and still others came into the room, and the entire Fellowship, with the exception of Boromir, arrived to congratulate Frodo on his accomplishment. There seemed something wrong in his eyes everytime they told him how proud they were, how well he had done, but he seemed to brush it away. Lara was also conscious that it could be awkward when Merry showed up. However, he only spared Lara an unreadable glance before rushing to Frodo and leaping on him with Pippin, showing no hard feelings.

The next two days were relaxed, and seemed to fly by. The next day, Aragorn was to be crowned King in the enormous courtyard. Lara was excited to see this, and couldn't help but remember when she had first known Aragorn, and thought him dirty, disgusting, and untrustworthy. It was really just too strange how things worked out sometimes.

The night before the ceremony, Lara was heading down to Pippin's room, when Merry came walking out and crashed into her. "Oh Lara, I'm sorry!" he cried, grabbing her shoulders. Then he smiled. "You would think after all that sword fighting I would be more coordinated, huh?" And with one last grin, he hurried out of the room. Lara watched him, an astonished look on her face at how happy he had been.

Pippin gave her a knowing glance. "So, I hear you talked to him."

"Uh...yeah." She and Pippin had not had time to discuss her conversation with Merry, as the past two days they always seemed to be in the company of either him, Frodo, or Sam. The Hobbits stuck together as much as possible.

"How did he take it?"

Lara noticed Pippin was already packing his bag, and she smiled to herself at the thought of going home to the Shire. "He was amazing about it, really. As you can see."

"Yes, I really do think he will be all right," Pippin commented, looking up at the door where Merry had disappeared. "I was thinking about finding him a hobbit lass once we got back home. Sam is on on it too. Want to help?" He grinned at her, and she assured him she would help, though really she did not even know if they would follow through with such a thing. Who could be right for her best friend? She could think of no one.

Frodo also found time to spend with just Lara over those two days as well, and they walked among Gondor, discussing their adventures, but never going into the penetrating questions that mattered most. There seemed to be a strange vibe in the air whenever they were together, as if something important needed to happen. Lara eventually told him every detail of what had happened in Gondor; it was strange to think she had only been separated from Frodo for less than three months. It had seemed like a lifetime; this whole adventure had seemed like eternity, and she was ready to go home.

However, she had not pressed him for details about himself, and though he had told her a few minor details, today she wanted to know a few more things. She decided would only bring up things that he had briefly mentioned.

"Frodo?" she asked, as they walked together. They found more private areas to walk, at Lara's request. She was afraid of running into Merry, not necessarily because she thought there would be a confrontation, but because she simply didn't want to hurt Merry even more.

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Well..." she hesitated. "You told me you had been seperated from Sam. What happened?" Frodo paused for a long time, until Lara finally muttered, "Sorry. I won't ask if-"

"You may ask me anything," he said, taking her hand and squeezing it. He immediately let go as quickly as he had grabbed it. "I am just ashamed of...a few things. I sent Sam away. I chose Gollum over Sam. I don't suppose I will ever forgive myself for that." He sighed. "And I never really threw the Ring into Mount Doom."

She frowned. "Then who did?"

"Gollum."

"_What_?"

"Well, he fell in. He bit off my finger, and took the Ring...and then he fell in. That's how the Ring was destroyed. I couldn't destroy it; I wanted to keep it for myself." And with this, he stopped and buried his face in his hands, the missing spot on his hand seeming to stand out astonishingly.

"Frodo..." She rested her hands on his shoulders. "What happened has happened. The Ring is destroyed, and you are safe." He looked up at her and gave her a weak smile, but his eyes were still troubled. But then he looked directly at her, and his eyes were kind again, and warm like the ocean. She could stare into them for miles it seemed. "I saw you," he said quietly. "I saw you when I fell down. First I saw Lady Galadriel; but then I saw you, with your hair all curly..." he trailed off, and as he realized Lara was waiting for him to continue, he sputtered a little. "I-well, it made me keep going."

"Good," she said, putting her hands on his shoulders. "I saw you too. Remember that stone Galadriel gave me? I used it one day to see you; it was like a mirror. I watched Sam pick you up and carry you to the top of Mount Doom."

He laughed. "Well, I'm not so glad you saw that part," he teased, looking up at her from a few inches away. Lara's heart stopped at the look in his eyes.

"Hey you two." They both turned to see Pippin and Merry striding over. Lara felt her stomach drop unpleasantly when she realized they were within hearing range. "Gandalf was wondering where the Ringbearer was at," Pippin continued, smiling and winking at Frodo. "He wanted a word."

"Sure," Frodo said, stepping off. He gave Lara one last look, and disappeared. Merry watched this exchange, his face serious. Lara tried to ignore the entire thing, but of course she was rather unsuccessful.

"So Lara I've been thinking," Pippin said. "We should rob Farmer Maggot's crops when we get home."

"You can't be serious. If you would think back, doing that is what got us into this whole mess!"

"You were glad to come, and you know it," Pippin said knowingly. "We all were glad to go." He nudged Merry. "But not all of us became knights."

"No jokes Pippin, or I might have to stick a sword in you," Merry said, and Pippin laughed.

"Only if you can catch me!"

With that, Merry made a grab for Pippin, which Pippin dodged, and they raced off like children. She shook her heads. Not that much had changed in them, after all. Sam came ambling around the corner not thirty seconds later, and he looked up and spotted her. "Lara!" he said, his tone pleased. "How are you, miss?"

"Great, Sam. I'm so happy we are all together again." She sat down on a nearby bench, with a tree branch hanging near it. Sam hung on the tree branch and remained standing, but he faced her. "How are you feeling, Sam?" she continued.

"Well I'm fine, Miss, of course I'm not the one who carried the blasted thing," he said. "Bless Mr. Frodo, poor lad." He sat down next to her on the bench and gazed at her. "Miss Lara," he said seriously. "I wish you could have seen him after he told you goodbye. Well, I don't wish you could have seen it, because no one would have wanted that, but-you would be able to tell how much he cared, Miss."

Lara was curious. "What do you mean?"

"When he didn't come out of the tunnel, I had to go look for him. He was just sitting there, looking...dead. There was something in his eyes, something wrong. It was like he couldn't even feel. Sometimes he got like that because of the Ring, but I could always tell when it was about the Ring, and when it was about you. He would sit awake at night, and I had to lay there and say nothing, because I was afraid to upset him even more..."

"Oh Sam, I'm so sorry," she said mournfully.

"Don't be sorry for me, Miss," he said. "It just really tore Mr. Frodo up, that's all. I just hope you aren't too angry with him."

"I understand, Sam, thank you," she assured him. "We already talked about it."

"Good then." Sam smiled and stood up. He held out his arm. "Hungry? Supper is ready in there..."

"Starving." She grinned at him and let him help her up, and then he led her to the food.

* * *

Lara was standing out on her balcony that night, looking at the stars and thinking about the ceremony tomorrow.

She had never appreciated beauty as much before, possibly because she knew what it was like to face inevitable death. She also had thought, for a full thirty seconds, that Frodo was dead.

It seemed to change her outlook on a lot of things.

She continued to gaze in silence, until a voice behind her made her jump. "How beautiful," the voice murmured, and she turned to see Frodo looking at her and smiling a small smile. The look in his eyes was warm, yet somehow shy, but it made her heart beat fast to see it. His eyes were smiling at her ever so tenderly. Really, he was the reason that her heart was beating in the first place, or so it seemed. She felt she had been put on this planet to take care of, and love Frodo Baggins.

"They really are," she said, looking back at the stars.

"I wasn't talking about the stars."

She looked at him, unsure of what to say. She felt the blush creep to her cheeks, before she said, "Thanks?"

He laughed. "You wouldn't know a compliment if it slapped you in the face, would you?"

"Sorry," she muttered, with a grin. The silence was stifling. Why had it been like this so often lately? She suddenly thought of something. "I have a question," she said, "but I do not intend to accuse or upset you."

He nodded slowly. "I will remember that."

"I just wanted to know...why you treated me the way you did, well...during the adventure. I mean, just so distantly. You didn't talk to me." She watched him apprehensively.

"Because I do not trust myself around you," he whispered, not looking at her anymore, but up at the stars. "I thought if I made you so upset, you would leave. Because I didn't want to be the one to tell you to go. I did not trust myself to say the right things, the things that would make you leave; instead I knew I would say the things that would make you stay with me, because that is what I wanted." He looked at her again.

"Then that's what you should have done!" she cried.

"No," he said quietly. "What I wanted was not best for you. Staying at home was best for you. Therefore we could not do what I wanted."

She sighed and looked down. "What I want does not matter though," she said.

He suddenly took her face in his hand and tilted her chin upwards, forcing her to look at him. "Of course it will matter," he said softly. "But what is best for you matters even more. And that is always what I will want for you."

"I don't understand," she whispered, mesmerized by his beautiful eyes.

"Do you want to know," he murmured, "what it was that I thought of first, as I lay on a rock in Mordor, thinking I would die? After the Ring was destroyed, and I was trapped on a rock surrounded by lava?"

"What was that?"

"The Shire," Frodo answered. "All of its beauty, and how it was safe now."

She smiled. "Yes. I am so glad for that."

He remained serious, gazing at her. "You know what I thought of last? What I imagined the entire time, wanting it to be the last thing I ever saw?" He reached up a hand and touched her cheek when she didn't answer, and she realized he was shaking. "You," he whispered. "Your face. How you looked at Bilbo's birthday...how you looked when I first met you...when I thought I was seeing you for the last time. How very lovely you are...more precious and beautiful than the entire Shire."

"Tha-thank you," Lara stuttered, barely able to speak, because Frodo was leaning in, and she was completely unprepared.

No, she hadn't kissed someone before, and yes, she was scared, but the moment Frodo's lips touched hers, all of that was completely forgotten. There was no magic fairy dust, like she read about in books sometimes, just the feeling she got when she knew Frodo felt the exact same way as she did, and that was the best feeling of all.

He pulled back more quickly than she would have liked-his lips were surprisingly soft for being in the wild for so long-and as she looked up at him under her lashes, his eyes were smiling at her. "Frodo," she whispered, "I-" But before she had gotten far, he was kissing her again, and this one was deeper, more passionate, and lasted much, much longer. When finally they broke apart, Lara felt a bit dizzy. She inhaled, and got the sweet scent of Frodo that she was accustomed to.

Frodo's eyes were burning into hers, and he said, "I should have done that in Gondor...when I thought I would never see you again."

"You really should have," Lara said faintly.

He smiled. "Lara..." he tilted her face upwards again so she was forced to gaze into his eyes. "I love you. More than my own life."

"I love you," she replied. "More than anything. When I thought you were dead when Mount Doom exploded..." she shuddered, unable to finish her thought, but he understood. He wrapped her in his arms very tightly, and just stood on the balcony, simply savoring the feeling of being together.


	28. Epilogue

Epilogue

The next morning, Lara woke up way too late. She had to rush to fit her breakfast in, and find a dress that was suitable to wear to such an event. Really, she thought none of her Shire dresses could match the crowning of Gondor's King, but she did the best with what she could had. She wanted to go to see Frodo, but she knew he was probably hurrying to get ready himself. Reluctantly, she had left his room last night, though she would have much rather slept in his bed.

The door was closed, but after a light knock sounded, she quickly threw on her underdress, which she wore beneath her formal one, and shouted, "Come in!"

Merry cautiously opened the door, and slipped inside the room. He glanced at her underdress before blushing and awkwardly looking around. "Hi Merry," Lara said quietly, with a small smile on her face, hoping peace could be kept between them. "How are you?"

"I'm..." he trailed off and didn't finish. After a considerable silence, he said, "Lara I am really glad for you and Frodo."

She watched his face carefully. "Thank you."

"No, I really mean it. You and I, we're just best friends. I will always love you, but I'm hoping with time it will fade. And who knows? Maybe I will find a hobbit lass in the Shire."

"I'm sure you will, Merry. A hobbit lass would be lucky to have you." She smiled warmly, but his smile thinned a little, and he looked as if he was biting back a snappy comment. He did not, however, and in a second he was smiling at her again. "Best friends?" she questioned. "Me, you, and Pip, forever right?"

"Forever," he nodded. He looked at her arm, which was showing more than usual in her underdress. "How is your arm?"

"It's better. Twinges every now and then, but you stabbed the Witch King, so how is yours?"

He rubbed it and said, a little darkly, "It hurts to eat and lift it the smallest amount. But like Frodo's wound, it will heal. I'm hoping to get Lord Elrond to heal it a bit." Lara nodded, giving him a sympathetic look, and he just shrugged. "No big deal," he said. "So, see you at the ceremony?" After Lara smiled and nodded, he departed the room, leaving her alone with her guilty thoughts.

...

The Hobbits' journey home seemed to take forever, but yet, it also went a lot faster than the journey away. Perhaps it was because, with the journey away, they weren't sure if they were ever coming back. But now that they were going home, to their beloved Shire, the Hobbits were all in an extremely good mood. The day before, at Aragorn's ceremony, the entire courtyard, including Gandalf and Aragorn himself, had bowed to the Hobbits. It had boosted all of their egos...especially Pippin.

Frodo rode his horse next to Lara's, and slipped her smiles every once in a while, when they both weren't lost in their own thoughts of the Shire, and what would happen when they got there.

Lara wasn't sure how back to normal things would become, since they had all grown and matured so much, Merry and Pippin especially. The one that remained the most unchanged was Sam, but even he had become more responsible and silent. After stopping in Rivendell for a few days, the Hobbits enjoyed the scenic ride home, and when the first Hobbit hole was familiar around a corner, Lara urged her horse into action.

The horse broke into a trot, and finally a canter, while Pippin shouted, "Hey!" She instantly heard the hooves behind her accelerate, and before she knew it, Pippin and she were racing, right through the streets of the Shire.

They were still children in essence, except now they did not only foot race, they had horses.

Amused, the other three watched as they raced to a tree, Pippin winning. They both leaped off their horses, and Lara shoved Pippin hard against the tree. They could hear her shriek, "I would still win in a footrace though!"

The other three Hobbits caught up just as the other two were clambering on their horses again, and a scene had been made. Hobbits were staring out their windows to get a glimpse at the mysterious five who had disappeared. Gossip was already forming about Frodo's missing finger. Hobbits pretended to come out and work in their gardens just to get a look, while others did not bother to pretend, but rather stood and stared. The five Hobbits kept their cool, smiling and nodding as they passed the other inhabitants of the Shire.

...

Over the next year and a half, the Hobbits realized how very different they had become. At the Green Dragon, they were no longer loud and obnoxious, but rather quiet, and kept to themselves. No one else seemed to disturb them either. Merry, however, was currently seeing a lass not from Hobbiton, Diamond Longcleeve, for which both Lara and Frodo were very thankful for. They could now be more public about their love in front of Merry, rather than pretend it was different, although both never flaunted it anyway.

Lara and Frodo were spending more and more time together, as Sam was spending more time with Rosie. Frodo was still struggling to return to the degree of normalcy he had before the Ring, but it was getting better every day. Some were worse than others, but Lara was always by his side to distract him and keep him company when he had those dark days.

Sam married Rosie on a beautiful April day, and the wedding had been a rather short one. Frodo, never being socially adept, had wanted to leave early, and as Lara sat chatting with one of Rosie's girl friends, he came up and whispered in her ear, "Are you ready to leave?"

After watching Pippin catch the bouqet, and teasing him mercifully for it, she was indeed ready to leave. The two made their way back to Bag End as late afternoon was approaching. Frodo grasped her hand, and once inside, turned and kissed her for a long time. After pulling away, he looked at her seriously. "I have a question for you," he said. "It's a very, very important question to me."

Lara's heart was beating very fast, though she didn't know why. "You can ask me anything, Frodo," she assured him.

"I love you," Frodo said. He pulled out a case. "And I want you to spend my life with you, if you would accept." He opened the case, and there was a beautiful, sparkling ring, probably the biggest she had ever seen. Lara gasped in shock and wonder, unable to take her eyes off of the beautiful ring. His glorious eyes burned into hers. "Marry me, Lara," he whispered, waiting to hear what she would say. She was shocked speechless for a few moments. She held out her hand, and understanding, he pulled out the ring and slipped it on her finger.

"Of course I will marry you," she said, and burst into tears.

They had their wedding three months later; and after Lara threw the bouquet, Merry caught it. She shot him a grin before turning to Frodo.

He cupped her face very gently, and whispered, "My wife is so lovely," before leaning in and kissing her; the kiss which permanently sealed her to him for the rest of their lives.

* * *

**A/N~ From the beginning, I always planned to make the ending to this story short and sweet. It was just meant to be a short little epilogue, not much detail, to show you how they got along with their lives and give you a bit of closure! And now...I am finished! Wow...two years in the making and I am very sad to see this story go. You guys have suggested that I do a PREQUEL instead of a sequel...a bunch of flashbacks. Well, I will defenitely try to work on it! Anything you all would like to see in particular? If you have any ideas, leave them in your review or PM me pretty please. But I also have a few ideas I think...**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed my story and the little epilogue. I thought of another Frodo/OC idea today... :) The main themes would be young love, passion, and following your heart and not the rules. It should be a fun time and that's all I'm sayin! So keep an eye out for it... Also, if there is anything you would like to see storywise, let me know (I love Hobbit Romances if you haven't noticed.)**

**I LOVE MY REVIEWERS! Thank you so much for all of your support!**

**And now...I leave you. But just with this story, not for good. :) Mwah!**


	29. Prequel Notice

All right, y'all, I did this with Stay too, because this is the best way I can think of to contact all my readers and reviewers all at once...its a shameless advertisement that you should see because of the alert system on the story.

I just posted a Prequel to An Open Book! I know a lot of you were clamoring for it (I want to thank smellyninja for being the true motivation behind this :)), and I finally have it planned at the first chapter posted! So go check it out and let me know what you think. I just wasn't ready to be done writing about Lara and Frodo yet, and by the sound of it, you weren't ready to stop reading about them either :)

I also have another Frodomance up called Ripple Effect, which is the story I mentioned in an author's note at the end of An Open Book.

So go check it out...Thanks! :)


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